Degradation of di-n-butyl phthalate by a homogeneous sono-photo-Fenton process with in situ generated hydrogen peroxide

L. J. Xu, Wei Chu, Nigel Graham

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

49 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The merits of a homogeneous sono-photo-Fenton treatment process (US/UV/Fe2+) were investigated using di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) as the model compound. The process involved ultrasound at 400kHz and UV irradiation at 254nm, and hydrogen peroxide generated in situ from the ultrasonic process was used as the exclusive source. The properties of the constituent processes, that is, the US/Fe2+, US/UV, and UV/Fe2+processes, were examined and compared. The treatment performance of the US/UV/Fe2+process was superior to the constituent processes and synergistic mechanisms in the US/UV/Fe2+process were the result of the promotion of hydroxyl radical generation. For the constituent processes, the US/Fe2+process was found to be more efficient in utilizing Fe2+compared to the conventional Fenton reaction. It was also observed that the addition of Fe2+to the test solution undergoing UV254irradiation (UV/Fe2+process) substantially improved DBP degradation, an effect which has been hardly reported previously; the mechanisms responsible for the synergistic effect have been proposed for the first time in this study. For the US/Fe2+, UV/Fe2+and US/UV/Fe2+processes, the influence of initial solution pH (2-9) and Fe2+dosage (0-0.5mM) on DBP treatment performance was examined. DBP degradation was found to be inversely related to pH, and greatest at an optimal Fe2+concentration, which was 0.1mM for the US/UV/Fe2+process.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)541-547
Number of pages7
JournalChemical Engineering Journal
Volume240
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Mar 2014

Keywords

  • Dibutyl phthalate degradation
  • Fenton
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Ultrasound
  • UV

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemical Engineering
  • General Chemistry
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Environmental Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Degradation of di-n-butyl phthalate by a homogeneous sono-photo-Fenton process with in situ generated hydrogen peroxide'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this