Fe/Cu Bimetallic Oxide as a Multifunctional Adsorbent and Fenton Assisted Catalyst for Efficient Removal of Oil and Methylene Blue
J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Volume 15, No 2 (June 2026) pp. 632-639
Abstract
Current water treatment technologies often face limitations such as the generation of secondary chemical by-products and high energy demands, highlighting the need for more efficient and sustainable alternatives. In this context, our study presents a multifunctional water purification system based on Fe/Cu bimetallic oxide nanoparticles designed for the effective treatment of oily wastewater and the removal of persistent dyes such as methylene blue (MB). The Fe/Cu bimetallic oxide catalyst was synthesized via a hydrothermal route, and its performance was evaluated through both adsorption and Fenton-based degradation mechanisms. Structural and chemical analyses were carried out using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The synthesized catalyst exhibited high removal efficiencies for both pollutants, with the 5:2 Fe: Cu composition outperforming the 5:1 and 5:3 ratios. This optimal ratio achieved 95.4% removal of methylene blue at pH 10 using 3 g/L catalyst dosage within 5 min reaction time. Additionally, the catalyst demonstrated nearly 75% reduction in oil droplet size for 500 ppm oil emulsion treatment. The study demonstrates that Fe Cu bimetallic oxide overcomes the narrow pH limitation of the conventional Fenton system through Cu mediated redox synergy. These results highlight the strong catalytic activity and multifunctional capability of the Fe/Cu bimetallic oxide. Owing to its efficiency, rapid action, and adaptability, this approach holds significant promise for wastewater applications across industries such as oil refining, petroleum processing, textiles, and paper manufacturing.
Full Text
Reference
Adetunji, A. I. and Olaniran, A. O., Treatment of industrial oily wastewater by advanced technologies: A review, Appl. Water Sci., 11(6), 98(2021).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-021-01430-4
Al-Tohamy, R., Ali, S. S., Li, F., Okasha, K. M., Mahmoud, Y. A. G., Elsamahy, T., Jiao, H., Fu, Y. and Sun, J., A critical review on the treatment of dye-containing wastewater: Ecotoxicological and health concerns of textile dyes and possible remediation approaches for environmental safety, Ecotoxicol. Environ. Safe., 231, 113160(2022).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.113160
Chen, H., Wang, S., Huang, L., Zhang, L., Han, J., Ren, W. and Li, J., Core-shell hierarchical Fe/Cu bimetallic Fenton catalyst with improved adsorption and catalytic performance for Congo red degradation, Catal., 12(11), 1363(2022).
https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12111363
Elgarahy, A. M., Elwakeel, K. Z., Mohammad, S. H., Elshoubaky, G. A., A critical review of biosorption of dyes, heavy metals and metalloids from wastewater as an efficient and green process, Clean Eng. Technol., 4, 100209(2021).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2021.100209
Farahani, A. T., Goodarzi, M. and Hedayati, K., Synthesis of γ-Fe2O3-CuO nanocomposite: Structural and magnetic study and its application for degradation of toxic pollutants, J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron., 33(30), 23761–23769(2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-022-09182-0
Ghasemi, H., Aghabarari, B., Alizadeh, M., Khanlarkhani, A. and Abu-Zahra, N., High efficiency decolorization of wastewater by Fenton catalyst: Magnetic iron-copper hybrid oxides, J. Water Process Eng., 37, 101540(2020).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2020.101540
Hussain, S., Aneggi, E. and Goi, D., Catalytic activity of metals in heterogeneous Fenton-like oxidation of wastewater contaminants: a review, Environ. Chem. Lett., 19(3), 2405-2424(2021).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-021-01185-z
Hussain, S., Aneggi, E., Goi, D. and Trovarelli, A., Bimetallic Cu/Fe catalysts for ibuprofen mineralization, Catal., 11(11), 1383(2021).
https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11111383
Karpuz, A., Alper, M. and Kockar, H., The role of Cu content on properties of electrodeposited Fe-Cu films, Sensor Lett., 7(3), 255–258(2009).
https://doi.org/10.1166/sl.2009.1076
Karthikeyan, S., Pachamuthu, M. P., Isaacs, M. A., Kumar, S., Lee, A. F. and Sekaran, G., Cu and Fe oxides dispersed on SBA-15: A Fenton type bimetallic catalyst for N, N-diethyl-p-phenyl diamine degradation, Appl. Catal. B: Environ., 199, 323-330(2016).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2016.06.040
Khan, S. U., Zaidi, R., Hassan, S. Z., Farooqi, I. H. and Azam, A., Application of Fe-Cu binary oxide nanoparticles for the removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solution, Water Sci. Technol., 74(1), 165–175(2016).
https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2016.189
Khan, W. U., Ahmed, S., Dhoble, Y. and Madhav, S., A critical review of hazardous waste generation from textile industries and associated ecological impacts, J. Ind. Chem. Soc., 100(1), 100829(2023).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jics.2022.100829
Kobayashi, D., Honma, C., Matsumoto, H., Takahashi, T., Shimada, Y., Kuroda, C. and Shono, A., Effects of ultrasonic frequency and initial concentration on degradation of methylene blue, Japanese J. Appl. Phy., 53(7S), 07KE03(2014).
https://doi.org/10.7567/JJAP.53.07KE03
Kumar, S., Structural evolution of iron–copper (Fe–Cu) bimetallic Janus nanoparticles during solidification: An atomistic investigation, J. Phy. Chem. C, 124(1), 1053–1063(2019).
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b09765
Legaria, E. P., Topel, S. D., Kessler, V. G. and Seisenbaeva, G. A., Molecular insights into the selective action of a magnetically removable complexone-grafted adsorbent, Dalton Transac., 44(3), 1273–1282(2015).
https://doi.org/10.1039/C4DT02808D
Luong, T. H., Nguyen, T. H., Nguyen, B. V., Nguyen, N. K., Nguyen, T. Q. and Dang, G. H., Efficient degradation of methyl orange and methylene blue in aqueous solution using a novel Fenton-like catalyst of CuCo-ZIFs, Green Proce. Syn., 11(1), 71–83(2011).
https://doi.org/10.1515/gps-2022-0006
Manickam-Periyaraman, P., Espinosa, J. C., Ferrer, B., Subramanian, S., Alvaro, M., Garcia, H. and Navalon, S., Bimetallic iron-copper oxide nanoparticles supported on nanometric diamond as efficient and stable sunlight-assisted Fenton photocatalyst, Chem. Eng. J., 393, 124770(2020).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.124770
Mohamed, A., Yousef, S., Ali, S., Sriubas, M., Varnagiris, S. and Tuckute, S., Highly efficient visible light photodegradation of Cr (VI) using electrospun mwcnts-Fe3O4@pes nanofibers, Catal., 11(7), 868(2021).
https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11070868
Nguyen, T. B., Dong, C. D., Huang, C. P., Chen, C. W., Hsieh, S. L. and Hsieh, S., Fe-Cu bimetallic catalyst for the degradation of hazardous organic chemicals exemplified by methylene blue in Fenton-like reaction, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., 8(5), 104139(2020).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2020.104139.
Nidheesh, P. V., Heterogeneous Fenton catalysts for the abatement of organic pollutants from aqueous solution: a review, Rsc Adv., 5(51), 40552-40577(2015).
Nieto, L. M., Hodaifa, G., Rodríguez, S., Giménez, J. A. and Ochando, J., Degradation of organic matter in olive-oil mill wastewater through homogeneous Fenton-like reaction, Chem. Eng. J., 173(2), 503–510(2011).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2011.08.022
Pavithran, P., John, R. M., George, S. C. and Raju, N. M., Highly efficient removal of chromium, methylene blue and methyl orange using electrospun polyurethane as a support in heterogeneous Fenton reaction, Environ. Proce., 11(1), 17(2024).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-024-00697-4
Qin, Q., Liu, Y., Li, X., Sun, T. and Xu, Y., Enhanced heterogeneous Fenton-like degradation of methylene blue by reduced CuFe2O4, RSC Adv., 8(2), 1071-1077(2018).
https://doi.org/10.1039/c7ra12488k
Qin, W., Yang, C., Yi, R. and Gao, G., Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of single-crystalline α-Fe2O3 nanocubes, J. Nanomater., 1–5, 159259(2011).
https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/589735
Raju, N. M., Sagitha, P. and George, S. C., A facile fabrication of PU/rGO/MoS2 self-cleaning fibrous membrane for oil-water separation, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., 12(2), 111979(2024).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2024.111979.
Roy, M. and Saha, R., Dyes and their removal technologies from wastewater: A critical review, Intell. Environ. Data Monitor. Pollut. Manage., 127–160(2021).
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819671-7.00006-3
Shahwan, T., Anjass, M. and Naser, R., Discoloration of aqueous methylene blue using bimetallic Fe-Cu NPs in comparison with Fe NPs, J. Mater. Environ. Sci., 12(1), 42–54(2021).
Ulucan-Altuntas, K. and Kuzu, S. L., Modelling and optimization of dye removal by Fe/Cu bimetallic nanoparticles coated with different Cu ratios, Mater. Res. Exp., 6(11), 1150A4(2011).
https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ab47b8
Wu, Y., Liu, Z., Bakhtari, M. F. and Luo, J., Preparation of GO/MIL-101 (Fe, Cu) composite and its adsorption mechanisms for phosphate in aqueous solution, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 28(37), 51391–51403(2021).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14166-8
Zhou, C., Liu, Z., Fang, L., Guo, Y., Feng, Y. and Yang, M., Kinetic and mechanistic study of rhodamine B degradation by H2O2 and Cu/Al2O3/g-C3N4 composite, Catal., 10(3), 317(2020).
https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10030317
Zin, M. T., Borja, J., Hinode, H. and Kurniawan, W., Synthesis of bimetallic Fe/Cu nanoparticles with different copper loading ratios, Dimensions, 13(19), 1031–1035(2013).
