There is increasing interest in using heterogeneous catalysis for mineralization of
organic pollutants. Within Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), Photo-Fenton
reaction is one of the most efficient methodologies. To date, most of heterogeneous
iron catalysts studied was based on oxides or hydroxides. We extend here our previous
studies on phenol photodegradation [1] by exploring the photocatalytic activity of
various hybrid MII phosphonates (MII = Mn, Fe, Cu) for several organic pollutants.
Synthesis conditions, pre-activation, H2O2 concentration, and surface characteristic have
been studied/optimized. For dyes, decolouring and mineralization degrees up to 90%
and 45%, respectively, were attained. Chemical analysis and X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy revealed the dynamic character of the photocatalyst surface upon reaction.
