Heterogeneous Photo-Fenton Catalyzed by Natural Iron Ore from a City of Bandjéli in Northwestern of Togo, for the Elimination of Paracetamol in Aqueous Media

Paracetamol (PAR) was selected as an emerging micropollutant model to evaluate the effectiveness of the photo-Fenton process using natural Bandjéli ore (BO) as a heterogeneous source of iron. An aliquot of 1 ml of the activated product was introduced into 200 mL of an aqueous solution of paracetamol at a defined concentration. The tests were conducted in a double-jacketed glass photoreactor (0.2 L), continuously stirred and equipped with two UVA PL-L lamps (36 W, λ = 365 nm), with the temperature maintained at 20°C and pH around 2.4. The photo-Fenton process was applied with different initial concentrations of paracetamol (10–50 mg/L), different H₂O₂/PAR initial molar ratio (10:1 and 5:1), and different ferric ion concentrations (2.84-4.73 mg/L). Under these conditions, complete elimination of paracetamol was achieved in less than 3 h for iron contents below 5 mg/L, in compliance with the discharge standards applicable in France and Togo. Inhibition tests with propan-2-ol highlighted the predominant role of hydroxyl radicals and the secondary involvement of superoxide radicals in the subsequent stages. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the Bandjéli ore is an effective, sustainable, and economically advantageous alternative to commercial iron salts for the implementation of the photo-Fenton process in the decontamination of water polluted by persistent organic micropollutants.