Catalytic performance of hematite nanostructures prepared by N₂ glow discharge plasma in heterogeneous Fenton-like process for acid red 17 degradation

Plasma-treated hematite (PTH) nanostructures were produced from natural hematite (NH) using N₂ plasma considering its cleaning and sputtering effects which lead to larger surface area. The NH and PTH were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, EDX, XPS, and BET methods. The catalytic activity of the PTH in heterogeneous Fenton-like process was higher than the NH for degradation of Acid Red 17. The GC–Mass technique was used to recognize some of the intermediates and a possible degradation pathway was proposed. Environment-friendly preparation of the catalyst, insignificant leaked iron concentration and successive usages at milder pH were the substantial advantages of the PTH.