Degradation of organic compounds in a fenton system based on chitosan/Fe0/Fe2O3 composites: a theoretical and experimental study

Chitosan is a polymer with interesting characteristics for use in catalysis, such as biocompatibility, high chemical reactivity and stability under various conditions. Seeking new applications, a new hybrid material was synthesized for use in the degradation of organic compound. A synthesis route proposed led to the formation of a material in the form of film. The characterization data indicated the presence of hematite, as well as metallic iron. In addition, a theoretical model for interaction of iron with chitosan was proposed. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that non-Coulomb interactions modulate the adsorption process between reactive red dye and chitosan. The catalytic behavior of these hybrid materials was investigated for the H2O2 decomposition to O2 and the degradation of reactive red dye. The hybrid material showed high degradation capacity, confirming this material as an efficient heterogeneous Fenton catalysts.