The aqueous degradation of butylated hydroxyanisole by UV/S2O8(2-): study of reaction mechanisms via dimerization and mineralization

Feasibility study of ultraviolet activated persulfate oxidation of phenol

Using ultraviolet photolytic persulfate activation to produce two sulfate radicals (SO(4)(-)) exhibits a potential for destroying organic contaminants in wastewater treatment applications. This study investigated both the feasibility of using a UV/SPS (sodium persulfate) process to treat phenol in aqueous phase and the effect of pH on degradation efficiency and TOC removal. The results revealed that a high initial persulfate concentration (i.e., 84 mM) and a lower initial phenol concentration (i.e., 0.5mM) resulted in rapid and complete phenol degradation within 20 min. For all three pHs evaluated (i.e., 3, 7 and 11), complete phenol degradation was also achieved after 30 min of treatment by UV/SPS oxidation processes (i.e., under an SPS/phenol molar ratio of 84/0.5) with pseudo-first-order rate constants (k(obs, phenol)) of 0.14-0.16 min(-1) (average half-life (t(1/2)) = 4.5 min). UV-Vis spectrum scanning of the aqueous solution during treatment identified the development of brown color in the wavelength range of 400-460 nm. The colored intermediate compounds that formed were suspiciously similar to those observed during Fenton treatment. However, a more aggressive oxidation at pH 11 showed a rapid and more complete removal of TOC in aqueous phase. Therefore, it is recommended that UV photolytic persulfate activation under basic pH be a preferred condition for treatment of phenol.

Effect of metal oxides on the reactivity of persulfate/Fe(II) in the remediation of diesel-contaminated soil and sand

The effect of metal oxides on the ability of persulfate (PS) with Fe(II) to remediate diesel-contaminated soil was investigated. In both natural soil and purchased sand, the highest diesel degradation occurred at pH 3 and the optimum molar ratio of PS/Fe(II) was 100:1 (i.e. 500 mM PS to 5 mM Fe(II)). Moreover, adding Fe(II) increased PS reactivity more in soil than it did in sand, indicating the involvement of metal oxides in the soil matrix. Evaluating the effects of metal oxides (i.e. goethite, hematite, magnetite, and manganese oxide) on the reactivity of PS with/without Fe(II) in a system containing diesel-contaminated sand revealed that manganese oxide increased PS activity the most and that the highest diesel degradation by PS occurred when both manganese oxide and Fe(II) were used as activators. XRD did not show the transformation of manganese oxide in the presence of Fe(II). SEM-EDS showed the association of Fe(II) on the surface of manganese oxide, and ICP analysis revealed that almost all the added Fe(II) adsorbed to manganese oxide but almost none adsorbed to iron oxides under acidic conditions. Therefore, the high reactivity of PS could be due to the high density of Fe(II) over the surface of manganese oxide.

Degradation of iopromide by combined UV irradiation and peroxydisulfate

The aqueous degradation of iopromide, an iodinated X-ray contrast media (ICM) compound, by the combination of UV(254) irradiation and potassium peroxydisulfate (K(2)S(2)O(8)) has been studied in laboratory scale experiments. The influence of various parameters on the performance of the treatment process has been considered, namely the UV irradiation light intensity, the initial concentrations of iopromide and peroxydisulfate, and the initial solution pH. Iopromide degradation increased with UV light intensity and peroxydisulfate concentration, but decreased with initial pH. Under specific conditions complete removal of iopromide was achieved within 30 min, and near-complete mineralisation (loss of solution TOC) within 80 min. Degradation was believed to be caused by a combination of direct photolysis, sulphate radical attack, and, to a minor degree, direct oxidation by peroxydisulfate. Approximate values for the reaction rate constants have been determined and found to be equal to 1-2x10(4) M(-1) s(-1) for sulfate radicals, and 1-2 M(-2) s(-1) for S(2)O(8)(2-). Overall compound degradation was observed to follow first-order kinetics where the rate constant decreased with initial solution pH. During the reaction, the solution pH decreased as a consequence of sulfate radical scavenging.

Sonochemical oxidation of arsenic(III) to arsenic(V) using potassium peroxydisulfate as an oxidizing agent

The sonochemical oxidation of As(III) in the presence of peroxydisulfate ion (PDS) has been investigated. Sulfate anion radicals and OH radicals produced during acoustic cavitation readily oxidized As(III) to As(V) in an aqueous environment. The rate of oxidation of As(III) was remarkably high ( approximately 10 times) with respect to the concentration of PDS. The As(III) oxidation was found to be independent of the initial pH of the solution in the range 3-8. It was relatively low at pH above 8, however, this could be circumvented by increasing the concentration of PDS. The presence of oxygen in solution played a significant role in the rate of oxidation of As(III). Around 40% oxidation of As(III) was observed in the absence of oxygen compared to 80% oxidation in the presence of dissolved oxygen (10mg/L) over a sonication time of 5 min. The addition of humic acid (HA) retarded the oxidation rate of As(III), but the effect could be offset by using larger amounts of PDS. The effects of ultrasound intensity, and frequency on the rate of the oxidation of As(III) were also studied. The rate of the oxidation of As(III) was not significantly dependent on the acoustic power applied, for the concentrations of As(III) used in this study. At an ultrasound frequency of 211 kHz, the rate of oxidation of As(III) was lower than that observed at 20 kHz. It is concluded that the sonochemical treatment of As(III) solutions in the presence of PDS is a simple and viable technique for the oxidation of As(III) to As(V).

Optimization of UV-promoted peroxydisulphate oxidation of C.I. Basic Blue 3 using response surface methodology

In this paper photooxidative decolorization of C.I. Basic Blue 3 (BB3), by a UV/peroxydisulphate process is reported. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to investigate the effects of different operational parameters on the photooxidative decolorization efficiency. The variables investigated were the reaction time, initial dye concentration, initial S2O8(2-) concentration and the distance of the solution from the UV lamp. Central composite design (CCD) was used for the optimization of the UV/peroxydisulphate process. Photooxidative decolorization efficiency was enhanced by the addition of an optimum amount of peroxydisulphate. An increase in UV light intensity increased the photooxidative decolorization efficiency. A decrease in photooxidative decolorization efficiency with increasing initial BB3 concentration was observed. Predicted values of photooxidative decolorization efficiency were found to be in good agreement with experimental values (R2 = 99.06% and Adj-R2 = 98.24%), which indicated the suitability of the CCD model employed and the success of CCD in optimizing the conditions of the UV/ peroxydisulphate process. The results of optimization predicted by the model showed that maximum decolorization efficiency (> 98%) was achieved at the optimum conditions: reaction time 11 min, initial dye concentration 10 mg/L, initial peroxydisulphate concentration 1.5 mmol/L and distance of UV lamp from the solution 6 cm. The figure-of-merit electrical energy per order (E(Eo)) was employed to estimate the electrical energy consumption.

The photooxidative destruction of C.I. Basic Yellow 2 using UV/S2O8(2-) process in a rectangular continuous photoreactor

The photooxidative decolorization of C.I. Basic Yellow 2 (BY2), was investigated using UV radiation in the presence of peroxydisulfate (S(2)O(8)(2-)) in a rectangular photoreactor at experimental condition. S(2)O(8)(2-) and UV-light showed negligible effect when they were used independently. Removal efficiency of BY2 was sensitive to the operational parameters such as initial concentrations of S(2)O(8)(2-), BY2, light intensity, flow rate and pH. The conversion ratios of BY2 at the volumetric flow rates of 330, 500 and 650 ml/min were 84%, 79%, 51% in 30 min, respectively. Our results showed that light intensity was a beneficial parameter for dye removal. The results showed that in the presence of S(2)O(8)(2-), the photooxidation quantum yield obtained was higher than direct photolysis quantum yield, suggesting that photodecay of BY2 was dominated by photooxidation. The electrical energy per order (E(EO)) values for decolorization of BY2 solution was calculated. Results show that applying a desired peroxydisulfate concentration can reduce the E(EO).

Degradation of diphenylamine by persulfate: Performance optimization, kinetics and mechanism

The degradation of diphenylamine (DPA) in aqueous solution by persulfate is investigated. Effects of pH, persulfate concentration, ionic strength, temperature and catalytic ions Fe(3+) and Ag(+) on the degradation efficiency of DPA by persulfate are examined in batch experiments. The degradation of DPA by persulfate is found to follow the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Increasing the reaction temperature or persulfate concentration may significantly accelerate the DPA degradation. Fe(3+) and Ag(+) ions can enhance the degradation of DPA, and Ag(+) ion is more efficient than Fe(3+) ion. However, the increase of either the pH value or ionic strength will decrease the rate of DPA degradation. N-Phenyl-4-quinoneimine, N-carboxyl-4-quinoneimine, 4-quinoneimine and oxalic acid are identified as the major intermediates of DPA degradation, and a primary pathway for the degradation of DPA is proposed. The degradation of DPA in surface water, groundwater and seawater is also tested by persulfate, and more than 90% of DPA can be degraded at room temperature in 45min at an initial concentration of 20mgL(-1).

Removal mechanisms for endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in wastewater treatment - physical means, biodegradation, and chemical advanced oxidation: a review

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are pollutants with estrogenic or androgenic activity at very low concentrations and are emerging as a major concern for water quality. Within the past few decades, more and more target chemicals were monitored as the source of estrogenic or androgenic activity in wastewater, and great endeavors have been done on the removal of EDCs in wastewater. This article reviewed removal of EDCs from three aspects, that is, physical means, biodegradation, and chemical advanced oxidation (CAO).

Photochemical oxidation of arsenic(III) to arsenic(V) using peroxydisulfate ions as an oxidizing agent

The photochemical oxidation of arsenic, As(III), to the less toxic As(V) using peroxydisulfate ions (S2O8(2-)) as the oxidizing agent under UV light irradiation was investigated. The photochemical oxidation of As(III) to As(V) assisted using peroxydisulfate ions (KPS) proved to be a simple and efficient method, and the rate of oxidation for As(III) was exceptionally high in accordance with the concentration of KPS. In this study, the UV light intensity was of primary importance for the dissociation of the KPS in generating sulfate anion radicals (SO4(-*)). Upon intense UV light irradiation, very efficient oxidation was achieved due to the complete decomposition of KPS into SO4(-*) radicals which favor a higher reaction rate. Subsequent pH variation from 3 to 9 was seen to have no influence on the photolytic cleavage of KPS, and hence, the reaction was unaltered. There was also no significant effect from the continuous purging of oxygen or dissolved oxygen before the reaction as the air-equilibrated condition was found to be sufficient for efficient oxidation. However, the continuous purging of nitrogen substantially reduced the reaction rate (20%), confirming that the dissolved oxygen plays a role in this reaction, although at high concentrations of KPS, this situation was overcome. Humic acid was also found to have no detrimental effect on the reaction rate, even at 20 ppm concentration. The resultant SO4(2-) obtained in this studywas,thus, not considered a pollutant. Moreover, there was no need for a sensitizer or other metals with highly alkaline conditions that are normally used in conjunction with KPS. Natural solar light could also effectively oxidize As(III) at room temperature. This simple technique was, thus, considered a cost-effective and safe method for the oxidation of As(III) to As(V).

The photo-oxidative destruction of C.I. Basic Yellow 2 using UV/S(2)O(8)(2-) process in an annular photoreactor

The photo-oxidative decolorization of C. I. Basic Yellow 2 (BY2), was investigated using UV radiation in the presence of peroxydisulfate (S(2)O(8)(2-)) in an annular photoreactor at different conditions. S(2)O(8)(2-) and UV-light showed negligible effect when they were used independently. Removal efficiency of BY2 was sensitive to the operational parameters such as initial concentrations of S(2)O(8)(2-), BY2 and pH. The conversion ratios of BY2 at the volumetric flow rates of 330, 500 and 650 mLmin(- 1) were 84%, 78%, 69% in 1 h, respectively. The results showed that in the presence of S(2)O(8)(2-), the photooxidation quantum yield obtained higher than direct photolysis quantum yield, suggesting that photodecay of BY2 was dominated by photooxidation. The electrical energy per order (EE/O) values for decolorization of BY2 solution was calculated. Results show that applying an optimum peroxydisulfate concentration can reduce the EE/O.