Decomposition of aqueous chlorinated contaminants by UV irradiation with H₂O₂

Abstract

In the present study, the decomposition rates of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) in water by the ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation alone and H₂O₂/UV were experimentally investigated. The detailed experimental studies have been conducted for examining treatment capacities of the two different ultraviolet light sources (low and medium pressure Hg arc) in H₂O₂/UV processes. The low or medium UV lamp alone resulted in a 60%–90% decomposition of 2,4-DCP while a slight addition of H₂O₂ resulted in a drastic enhancement of the 2,4-DCP decomposition rate. The decomposition rate of 2,4-DCP with the medium pressure UV lamp alone was about 3–6 times greater than the low pressure UV lamp alone. In the direct photolysis of aqueous CCl₄, the medium pressure UV lamp had advantage over the low pressure UV lamp because the molar extinction coefficient of CCl₄ at shorter wavelength (210–220 nm) is about 20 to 50 times higher than that at 254 nm. However, adding H₂O₂ to the medium pressure UV lamp system rendered a negative oxidation rate because H₂O₂ acted as a UV absorber being competitive with CCl₄ due to negligible reaction between CCl₄ and OH radicals. The results from the present study indicated significant influence of the photochemical properties of the target contaminants on the photochemical treatment characteristics for designing cost-effective UV-based degradation of toxic contaminants.

Keywords

H₂O₂/ultraviolet (UV) light / advanced oxidation / UV light irradiation / chlorinated contaminants / photochemical treatment characteristics

References

[1] Teel A L, Watts R J. Degradation of carbon tetrachloride by modified Fenton’s reagent. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2002, 94(2): 179–189

[2] Kralik P, Kusic H, Koprivanac N, Bozic A L. Degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons by UV/ H₂O₂: The application of experimental design and kinetic modeling approach. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2010, 158(2): 154–166

[3] Klamerth N, Rizzo L, Malato S, Maldonado M I, Agüera A, Fernández-Alba A R. Degradation of fifteen emerging contaminants at microg L^-1 initial concentrations by mild solar photo-Fenton in MWTP effluents. Water Research, 2010, 44(2): 545–554

[4] Esplugas S, Bila D M, Krause L G, Dezotti M. Ozonation and advanced oxidation technologies to remove endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in water effluents. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2007, 149(3): 631–642

[5] Kim S D, Cho J, Kim I S, Vanderford B J, Snyder S A. Occurrence and removal of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors in South Korean surface, drinking, and waste waters. Water Research, 2007, 41(5): 1013–1021

[6] Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Dinsdale R M, Guwy A J. The removal of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, endocrine disruptors and illicit drugs during wastewater treatment and its impact on the quality of receiving waters. Water Research, 2009, 43(2): 363–380

[7] Goel M, Chovelon J M, Ferronato C, Bayard R, Sreekrishnan T R. The remediation of wastewater containing 4-chlorophenol using integrated photocatalytic and biological treatment. Journal of Photochemical Photobiology B: Biology, 2010, 98(1): 1–6

[8] Pera-Titus M, Garcia-Molina V, Banos M A, Gimenez J, Esplugas S. Degradation of chlorophenols by means of advanced oxidation processes: a general review. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2004, 47(4): 219–256

[9] Gogate P R, Pandit A B. A review of imperative technologies for wastewater treatment II: hybrid methods. Advances in Environmental Research, 2004, 8(3–4): 553–597

[10] Sung M, Huang C P. Kinetics of the degradation of 2-chlorophenol by ozonation at pH 3. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2007, 141(1): 140–147

[11] Rosenfeldt E J, Linden K G, Canonica S, von Gunten U. Comparison of the efficiency of ·OH radical formation during ozonation and the advanced oxidation processes O₃/H₂O₂ and UV/H₂O₂. Water Research, 2006, 40(20): 3695–3704

[12] Galindo C, Jacques P, Kalt A. Photodegradation of the aminoazobenzene acid orange 52 by three advanced oxidation processes: UV/ H₂O₂, UV/TiO₂ and VIS/TiO₂: comparative mechanistic and kinetic investigations. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A Chemistry, 2000, 130(1): 35–47

[13] Mahamuni N N, Adewuyi Y G. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) involving ultrasound for waste water treatment: a review with emphasis on cost estimation. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 2010, 17(6): 990–1003

[14] Saritha P, Aparna C, Himabindu V, Anjaneyulu Y. Comparison of various advanced oxidation processes for the degradation of 4-chloro-2 nitrophenol. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2007, 149(3): 609–614

[15] Shu H, Hsieh W. Treatment of dye manufacturing plant effluent using an annular UV/H₂O₂ reactor with multi-UV lamps. Separation and Purification Technology, 2006, 51(3): 379–386

[16] Glaze W H, Beltran F, Tuhkanen T, Kang J W. Chemical models of advanced oxidation process. Water Pollution Research Journal of Canada, 1992, 27: 23–42

[17] Karci A, Arslan-Alaton I, Olmez-Hanci T, Bekbölet M. Transformation of 2,4-dichlorophenol by H₂O₂/UV-C, Fenton and photo-Fenton processes: oxidation products and toxicity evolution. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A Chemistry, 2012, 230(1): 65–73

[18] Al Momani F, Sans C, Esplugas S. A comparative study of the advanced oxidation of 2,4-dichlorophenol. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2004, 107(3): 123–129

[19] Quan X, Shi H, Wang J, Qian Y. Biodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol in sequencing batch reactors augmented with immobilized mixed culture. Chemosphere, 2003, 50(8): 1069–1074

[20] Boltz D F, Howell J A. Colorimetric Determination of Non-metals. Hoboken: Wiley-Interscience Publication, 1978, 543

[21] Turro N J, Ramamurthy V, Scaiano J C. Principles of Molecular Photochemistry: An Introduciton. Sausalito: University of Science Books, 2009, 18

[22] Karci A, Arslan-Alaton I, Olmez-Hanci T, Bekbolet M. Degradation and detoxification of industrially important phenol derivatives in water by direct UV-C photolysis and H₂O₂/UV-C process: A comparative study. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2013, 224: 4–9

[23] Shu Z, Bolton J R, Belosevic M, El Din M G. Photodegradation of emerging micropollutants using the medium-pressure UV/H₂O₂ advanced oxidation process. Water Research, 2013, 47(8): 2881–2889

[24] Anipsitakis G P, Dionysiou D D. Transition metal/UV-based advanced oxidation technologies for water decontamination. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2004, 54(3): 155–163

[25] Trapido M, Veressinina Y, Munter R. Advanced oxidation processes for degradation of 2,4-dichloro- and 2,4-dimethyl phenol. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 1998, 124(8): 690–694

[26] Gonzalez M C, Le Roux G C, Rosso J A, Braun A M. Mineralization of CCl₄ by the UVC-photolysis of hydrogen peroxide in the presence of methanol. Chemosphere, 2007, 69(8): 1238–1244

[27] Smith B A, Teel A L, Watts R J. Identification of the reactive oxygen species responsible for carbon tetrachloride degradation in modified Fenton’s systems. Environmental Science & Technology, 2004, 38(20): 5465–5469

[28] Hua I, Hoffmann M R. Kinetics and mechanism of the sonolytic degradation of CCl₄: Intermediates and byproducts. Environmental Science & Technology, 1996, 30(3): 864–871

[29] Kim W, Tachikawa T, Majima T, Choi W. Photocatalysis of dye-sensitized TiO₂ nanoparticles with thin overcoat of Al₂O₃: enhanced activity for H₂ production and dechlorination of CCl₄. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2009, 113(24): 10603–10609

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg