Vinylon industrial wastewater contains high concentrations of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), resulting in poor biodegradability and high organic loading. In this study, an efficient pretreatment strategy based on catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) was developed using a synergistic La2CuO4/activated carbon (LaCu-AC) catalyst. The catalyst was synthesized via a sol-impregnation method and characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and BET analyses, confirming successful incorporation of the perovskite phase onto the porous carbon support. Compared with bulk La2CuO4, LaCu-AC exhibited improved dispersion and a higher specific surface area (17.67 vs. 7.70 m2/g). Under optimized conditions (15 g/L catalyst, 1.5 Qth H2O2 added in five batches, 80°C, 1 h), COD and TOC removal efficiencies reached 95% and 89%, respectively. After five cycles, the catalyst retained over 81% of its activity. The enhanced performance is attributed to adsorption-assisted radical-mediated oxidation arising from the synergistic interaction between La2CuO4 and activated carbon. This study demonstrates a stable and environmentally friendly approach for the pretreatment of refractory vinylon wastewater.
Yang et al. (2026) studied this question.