Catalytic ozonation of humic acids with Fe/MgO

Degradation of humic acids by ozone was performed at room temperature in a stirred tank reactor with heterogeneous catalysts. Experimental results show that the ozonation with Fe/MgO induced a significant reduction in UV absorbance of humic acids, as compared to ozone alone. Fe/MgO was the most efficient catalyst in degradation humic acids in the presence of ozone. GPC (gel permeation chromatography) showed that humic acids with high molecular weight could be severely decomposed into organic compounds with low molecular weight by the Fe/MgO catalyst, indicating that humic acids could be catalytically decomposed.