Challenges in oily sludge from petroleum industry and bilge waters treatment by catalytic wet air oxidation

Oily wastewater is a difficult discarded to treat as it has high salt content, suspended solids, used oils and detergents. In this context, the heterogeneous CWAO, which involves the oxidation of these organic compounds into more biodegradable compounds or their mineralization to CO2, is a very promising tool to purify this kind of wastewater. This study deals with the Catalytic Wet Air Oxidation (CWAO) of phenol, as representative molecule of polluting organic compounds present in bilge water contaminants, on MnCeOx supported carbonaceous materials. The catalysts were thoroughly characterized by XRD, TPR and SEM studies. The catalytic activity of the investigated catalysts has been discussed in detail.