Chemosphere 2015-09-01

Photochemical transformation of tetrabromobisphenol A under simulated sunlight irradiation: Kinetics, mechanism and influencing factors.

Yueping Bao, Junfeng Niu

Index: Chemosphere 134 , 550-6, (2015)

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Abstract

A systematic study on photolysis of tetrabromobisphenol A (2,2',6,6'-tetrabromo-4,4'-isopropylidendiphenol, TBBPA) in water was investigated under simulated sunlight irradiation. The results showed that the photolysis of TBBPA followed apparent pseudo-first-order kinetics. The photolysis rate constants (k) changed from 2.80 × 10(-2) to 0.70 × 10(-2)min(-1) with the concentrations of TBBPA varying from 0.1 to 10 mg L(-1). Increasing humic acid (HA) concentration from 0-100 mg L(-1) led to the decrease of k from 2.53 × 10(-2) to 0.39 × 10(-2)min(-1), which was due to the competitive adsorption for photons between HA and TBBPA molecules. The photolysis rate was faster at near-neutral conditions (pH=6 and 7) than that in either acidic or basic conditions. Electron spin resonance (ESR) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging experiments indicated that TBBPA underwent self-sensitized photooxidation via ROS (i.e., OH, (1)O2 and O2(-)), and the process was mainly controlled by O2(-). After irradiation of 180 min, about 35.0% reduction of TOC occurred accompanied with approximate 99.1% of TBBPA removed. The detection of products (i.e., Br(-), bisphenol A, 2,6-dibromophenol, 2-bromophenol and phenol) revealed that the main photolytic pathways of TBBPA were debromination and breakage of C-C bond.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.