Abstract: Catalytic degradation of organic pollutants in a sodium bicarbonate solution with Mn2+ ion (0.004–0.1 mmol/L) as the catalyst has been studied using H2O2 as the oxidant. Complete decoloration of methylene blue was achieved in 180 min with 44.0% chemical oxidation demand removal at 25 oC at the NaHCO3, MnCl2 and H2O2 concentrations of 25, 0.1, and 100 mmol/L, respectively. The total organic carbon measurement indicated that 13.8% of the carbon was mineralized. The Mn2+/HCO3? + H2O2 system also showed high ability for oxidative degradation of methyl orange, rhodamine B, and even landfill leachate. The analysis of UV-Vis spectroscopy and reaction kinetics indicated that the MnIV=O intermediate is the key active species in methylene blue degradation.

Key words: sodium bicarbonate, hydrogen peroxide, manganese(II) ion, degradation, dye, landfill leachate