Abstract

Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of an aqueous solution of bisphenol A (BPA) was investigated at 160 ℃ and 2.0 MPa of air in a batch reactor. Activity of supported platinum catalysts (2.5 wt%), prepared by wet impregnation, was compared with pure cerium and cerium–titanium oxide catalysts. Supported platinum catalysts showed higher activities in the removal of BPA than pure CeO2, Ce0.8Ti0.2O2 and Ce0.2Ti0.8O2. The oxidation reaction was followed the pseudo-first order rate law and the highest BPA removal, 97% and 95%, was achieved with Pt/CeO2 and Pt/Ce0.8Ti0.2O2 catalysts respectively. The CWAO of BPA aqueous solution was not a surface area specific reaction but the more important factor affecting the activity of studied catalysts was the amount of chemisorbed oxygen of these samples.