Sonophotolytic degradation of dimethyl phthalate without catalyst: Analysis of the synergistic effect and modeling

L. J. Xu, Wei Chu, Nigel Graham

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

55 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The merits of the combined process of high-frequency ultrasound (US) and catalyst-free ultraviolet irradiation (UV) have been evaluated in this study by investigating the sonophotolytic degradation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP). A 400 kHz ultrasonic system and a photolytic system at 253.7 nm were employed individually, sequentially and simultaneously to examine the details of the processes. High UV intensities and low pH conditions enhanced the sonophotolytic degradation of DMP and a clear synergy was evident from the combination of the US and UV irradiation with a synergetic index of 2.6. The role of ultrasonically generated hydrogen peroxide was examined qualitatively and quantitatively, and its generation and photo-decomposition were found to be the principal reason for the process synergy. A novel inverted S-curve model was developed and found to successfully describe the process of sonophotolysis and DMP degradation.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1996-2004
Number of pages9
JournalWater Research
Volume47
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Apr 2013

Keywords

  • Dimethyl phthalate
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Photolysis
  • Sonolysis
  • Sonophotolysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecological Modelling
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Waste Management and Disposal
  • Pollution

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