Background & objectives: Catechol is a phenolic compound which can enter into the environment by various industries. The main objective of this project is to produce a composite of MgO with high catalytic potential for catechol removal from wastewater using ozonation process.

Methods: MgO crystals were produced and coated on the supports by sol-gel-thermal method. Catechol concentration was determined by high-pressure gas chromatography (HPLC).

Results: All three catalysts were effective in increasing catechol removal efficiency. However, efficiency of GAC/MgO at various pH was the highest followed by Perlite/MgO and Pumice/MgO. Due to radical production, the catalyst MgO/GAC plays an important role in mineralization (COD removal) of catechol. The catalytic potential of MgO/GAC composite with ozonation to mineralize catechol was 38.5% at catalyst level of 10 g/l and reaction time of 60 min.

Conclusion: Catalytic ozonation with MgO/GAC can be regarded as an important process with high capacity for degradation and mineralization of toxic and resistant to biodegradation chemical compounds at high concentrations.