Comparison of advanced oxidation processes and identification of monuron photodegradation products in aqueous solution

Insights into oxidation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) by low-dose ferrate(VI) catalyzed with α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles

In this study, the catalytic performance of α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (nα-Fe₂O₃) in the low-dose ferrate (Fe(VI)) system was systematically studied through the degradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP). Based on the established quadratic functions between nα-Fe₂O₃ amount and observed pseudo first-order rate constant (k_obs), two linear correlation equations were offered to predict the optimum catalyst dosage and the maximum k_obs at an applied Fe(VI) amount. Moreover, characterization and cycling experiments showed that nα-Fe₂O₃ has good stability and recyclability. According to the results of reactive species identification and quenching experiment and galvanic oxidation process, the catalytic mechanism was proposed that Fe(III) on the surface of nα-Fe₂O₃ may react with Fe(VI) to enhance the generation of highly reactive Fe(IV)/Fe(V) species, which rapidly extracted a single electron from PCP molecule for its further reaction. Besides, two possible PCP degradation pathways, i.e., single oxygen transfer mediated hydroxylation and single electron transfer initiated polymerization were proposed. The formation of coupling products that are prone to precipition and separation was largely improved. This study proved that nα-Fe₂O₃ can effectively catalyze PCP removal at low-dose Fe(VI), which provides some support for the application of Fe(VI) oxidation technology in water treatment in the context of low-carbon emissions.

Oxygen vacancy engineering of cerium oxide for the selective photocatalytic oxidation of aromatic pollutants

The engineering of oxygen vacancies in CeO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) allows the specific fine-tuning of their oxidation power, and this can be used to rationally control their activity and selectivity in the photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of aromatic pollutants. In the current study, a facile strategy for generating exceptionally stable oxygen vacancies in CeO₂ NPs through simple acid (CeO₂-A) or base (CeO₂-B) treatment was developed. The selective (or mild) PCO activities of CeO₂-A and CeO₂-B in the degradation of a variety of aromatic substrates in water were successfully demonstrated. CeO₂-B has more oxygen vacancies and exhibits superior photocatalytic performance compared to CeO₂-A. Control of oxygen vacancies in CeO₂ facilitates the adsorption and reduction of dissolved O₂ due to their high oxygen-storage ability. The oxygen vacancies in CeO₂-B as active sites for oxygen-mediated reactions act as (i) adsorption and reduction reaction sites for dissolved O₂, and (ii) photogenerated electron scavenging sites that promote the formation of H₂O₂ by multi-electron transfer. The oxygen vacancies in CeO₂-B are particularly stable and can be used repeatedly over 30 h without losing activity. The selective PCOs of organic substrates were studied systematically, revealing that the operating mechanisms for UV-illuminated CeO₂-B are very different from those for conventional TiO₂ photocatalysts. Thus, the present study provides new insights into the design of defect-engineered metal oxides for the development of novel photocatalysts.

Degradation of nitrogen-containing hazardous compounds using advanced oxidation processes: A review on aliphatic and aromatic amines, dyes, and pesticides

Nitrogen-containing amino and azo compounds are widely used in textile, agricultural and chemical industries. Most of these compounds have been demonstrated to be resistant to conventional degradation processes. Advanced oxidation processes can be effective to mineralize nitrogen-containing compounds and improve the efficacy of overall treatment schemes. Due to a global concern for the occurrence of toxic and hazardous amino-compounds and their harmful degradation products in water, it is important to develop technologies that focus on all the aspects of their degradation. Our focus is to present a state-of-the-art review on the degradation of several amine- and azo-based compounds using advanced oxidation processes. The categories reviewed are aromatic amines, aliphatic amines, N-containing dyes and N-containing pesticides. Data has been compiled for degradation efficiencies of each process, reaction mechanisms focusing on specific attack of oxidants on N atoms, the effect of process parameters like pH, initial concentration, time of treatment, etc. and identification of intermediates. Several AOPs have been compared to provide a systematic overview of available literature that will drive essential aspects of future research on amine-based compounds. Ozone is observed to be highly reactive to most amines, dyes and pesticides, followed by Fenton processes. Degradation of amines is highly sensitive to pH and mechanisms differ at different pH values. Cavitation is a promising alternative pre-treatment method for cost reduction. Hybrid methods under optimized conditions are demonstrated to give synergistic effects and must be tailored for specific effluents in question. In conclusion, even though nitrogen-containing compounds are recalcitrant in nature, the use of advanced oxidation processes at carefully established optimum conditions can yield highly efficient degradation of the compounds.

Preparation and photocatalytic performance of tungstovanadophosphoric heteropoly acid salts

Tungstovanadophosphoric heteropoly acid H₅PW₁₀V₂O₄₀·5.76H₂O (HPWV) has been synthesized via stepwise acidification and gradual addition of elements. Some metals like Fe, Al and Cu were introduced into the heteropoly acid (HPA) in the molar ratio of 10 : 6, 10 : 6 and 10 : 4 respectively. The prepared catalysts were characterized by UV, FTIR, TG/DTA and XRD. The results indicated that HPWV and its metal salts all contain Keggin units, which are the primary structures of the heteropoly acids. The homogeneous photocatalytic degradation of phenol by heteropoly acid salts was studied in detail under artificial UV irradiation and addition of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and the effects of initial phenol and H₂O₂ concentrations on the rate of photocatalytic phenol degradation were examined. The results suggested that the heteropoly acid salts showed good catalytic activities for phenol degradation via the ·OH radical mechanism. Under irradiation with a 10 W Hg lamp, 96% phenol was degraded within less than 60 min in the solution containing 50 mg L⁻¹ phenol + 2 μmol L⁻¹ Fe₅(PW₁₀V₂O₄₀)₃ + 4 μmol L⁻¹ H₂O₂, with the performance of the catalysts in order FePWV > AlPWV > CuPWV > HPWV. This work demonstrated that the photo-Fenton reaction catalyzed by the heteropoly acid salts was a promising advanced oxidation tool for the treatment of phenol-containing wastewater.

Tungstovanadophosphoric heteropoly acid H₅PW₁₀V₂O₄₀·5.76H₂O (HPWV) has been synthesized via stepwise acidification and gradual addition of elements.

The effect of natural iron oxide and oxalic acid on the photocatalytic degradation of isoproturon: a kinetics and analytical study

The photocatalytic degradation of isoproturon, a persistent toxic herbicide, was investigated in the presence of natural iron oxide and oxalic acid and under UV irradiation. The influence of the relevant parameters such as the pH and the iron oxide and oxalic acid concentrations has been studied. The presence of natural iron oxide and oxalic acid in the system effectively allow the degradation of isoproturon, whereas the presence of t-butyl alcohol adversely affects the phototransformation of the target pollutant, thus indicating that an OH radical initiated the degradation mechanism. The degradation mechanism of isoproturon was investigated by means of GC-MS analysis. Oxidation of both the terminal N-(CH₃)₂ and isopropyl groups is the initial process leading to N-monodemethylated (NHCH₃), N-formyl (N(CH₃)CHO), and CHCH₃OH as the main intermediates. The substitution of the isopropyl group by an OH group is also observed as a side process.

Comparison of various advanced oxidation processes for the degradation of phenylurea herbicides

Various types of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), such as UV photolysis, ozonation, heterogeneous photocatalysis and their combinations were comparatively examined at the same energy input in a home-made reactor. The oxidative transformations of the phenylurea herbicides fenuron, monuron and diuron were investigated. The initial rates of transformation demonstrated that UV photolysis was highly efficient in the cases of diuron and monuron. Ozonation proved to be much more effective in the transformation of fenuron than in those of the chlorine containing monuron and diuron. In heterogeneous photocatalysis, the rate of decomposition decreased with increase of the number of chlorine atoms in the target molecule. Addition of ozone to UV-irradiated solutions and/or TiO2-containing suspensions markedly increased the initial rates of degradation. Dehalogenation of monuron and diuron showed that each of these procedures is suitable for the simultaneous removal of chlorinated pesticides and their chlorinated intermediates. Heterogeneous photocatalysis was found to be effective in the mineralization.

Oxidative degradation study on antimicrobial agent ciprofloxacin by electro-Fenton process: kinetics and oxidation products

Oxidative degradation of the antimicrobial agent ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CIP) has been investigated using electro-Fenton (EF) treatment with a constant current in the range 60-500 mA. The process generates highly oxidant species OH in situ via electrochemically monitored Fenton reaction. The EF experiments were performed using cells with a carbon felt cathode and Pt anode. Effect of applied current and catalyst concentration on the kinetics of oxidative degradation and mineralization efficiency have been investigated. Degradation of CIP followed pseudo-first order reaction kinetics. The rate constant of the oxidation of CIP by OH has been determined to be (1.01 ± 0.14) × 10(10) M(-1) s(-1) by using competitive kinetics method. An optimum current of 400 mA and a catalyst concentration of Fe(2+) at 0.1mM are found to be optimal for an effective degradation of CIP under our operating conditions. A remarkably high degree of mineralization (>94%) was obtained at 6h of treatment under these conditions. A number of stable intermediate products have been identified using HPLC and LC-MS/MS analyses. Based on the identified reaction intermediates, a plausible reaction pathway was proposed for the mineralization process. The high degree of mineralization obtained in this work highlights the potential application of EF process in the efficient removal of fluoroquinolone based drugs in aqueous medium.

Photocatalytic degradation of substituted phenylurea herbicides in aqueous semiconductor suspensions exposed to solar energy

The photocatalyzed degradation of the biocides chlorotoluron, diuron, fluometuron, isoproturon and linuron (substituted phenylurea herbicides) was investigated in aqueous suspensions of ZnO, TiO2, WO3, SnO2 and ZnS at pilot plant scale under natural sunlight. Comparison of the five catalysts showed that ZnO is the most effective for catalyzing the removal of all the compounds studied. The primary degradation of the herbicides followed a pseudo-first order kinetics. In our conditions, the time required for 90% degradation ranged from 23 to 47min for isoproturon and linuron, respectively, when using the tandem ZnO/Na2S2O8. Eight transformation products were identified by HPLC-MS(2) during the experiments, although at the end of the photoperiod (240min), their concentrations were below detection limits. Based on derivative identification, the proposed metabolic pathways would involve N-demethylation and N-demethoxylation of the N-methoxy-N-methyl substituted ureas and N-demethylation of the N,N-dimethylurea-substituted compounds.

Photocatalytic transformation of sixteen substituted phenylurea herbicides in aqueous semiconductor suspensions: intermediates and degradation pathways

The photocatalytic degradation of sixteen substituted phenylurea herbicides (PUHs) in pure water has been studied using zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) as photocatalyst under artificial light irradiation. Photocatalytic experiments showed that the addition of these chalcogenide oxides in tandem with the oxidant (Na(2)S(2)O(8)) strongly enhances the degradation rate of these compounds in comparison with those carried out with ZnO and TiO(2) alone and photolytic tests. Comparison of catalysts showed that ZnO is the most efficient for the removal of such herbicides in optimal conditions and at constant volumetric rate of photon absorption in the photoreactor. Thus, the complete disappearance of all the studied compounds was achieved after 20 min of illumination in the ZnO/Na(2)S(2)O(8) system. The main photocatalytic intermediates detected during the degradation of PUHs were identified. The probable photodegradation pathways were proposed and discussed. The main steps involved: N-demethylation of the N,N-dimethylurea-substituted compounds followed of N-demethylation and N-demethoxylation of the N-methoxy-N-methyl-substituted ureas and hydroxylation of aromatic rings and their aliphatic side-chains of both, parent compounds and intermediates.

Comparison of UV/H2O2 and UV/TiO2 for the degradation of metaldehyde: Kinetics and the impact of background organics

The kinetics of photodegradation of the pesticide metaldehyde by UV/H(2)O(2) and UV/TiO(2) in laboratory grade water and a natural surface water were studied. Experiments were carried out in a bench scale collimated beam device using UVC radiation. Metaldehyde was efficiently degraded by both processes in laboratory grade water at identical rates of degradation (0.0070 and 0.0067 cm(2) mJ(-1) for UV/TiO(2) and UV/H(2)O(2) respectively) when optimised doses were used. The ratio between oxidant and metaldehyde was significantly higher for H(2)O(2) due to its low photon absorption efficiency at 254 nm. However, the presence of background organic compounds in natural water severely affected the rate of degradation, and whilst the pseudo first-order rate constant of degradation by UV/H(2)O(2) was slowed down (0.0020 cm(2) mJ(-1)), the degradation was completely inhibited for the UV/TiO(2) process (k' = 0.00007 cm(2) mJ(-1)) due to the blockage of active sites on TiO(2) surface by the background organic material.

Photocatalytic oxidation of monuron in the suspension of WO3 under the irradiation of UV-visible light

A comprehensive study of the degradation of monuron, one of the phenylurea herbicides, was conducted by UV-Vis/WO(3) process. It was found that hydroxyl radicals played a major role in the decay of monuron while other radicals (e.g. superoxide) and hole might also contribute to the decomposition of monuron. The oxidation path likely plays a major role in the generation of hydroxyl radicals. The effects of initial pH level, initial concentration of monuron, and inorganic oxidants on the performance of UV-Vis/WO(3) process were also investigated and optimized. Comparison between monuron decay pathways by UV-Vis/WO(3) and UV/TiO(2) was conducted. The decay mechanisms, including N-terminus demethylation, dechlorination and direct hydroxylation on benzene ring, were observed to be involved in the oxidation of monuron in these two processes. Sixteen intermediates were identified during the photodegradation of monuron and degradation pathways were proposed accordingly.

New Fe-immobilized natural bentonite plate used as photo-Fenton catalyst for organic pollutant degradation

Novel photo-Fenton catalysts were prepared by immobilizing iron species on commercial bentonite plates via two methods: (1) ion exchange reaction (Fe(3+) vs. Na(+)) by aqueous suspension powder-clay/FeCl(3) followed by plate preparation, and (2) forced hydrolysis of Fe(NO(3))(3) onto a prefabricated clay plate. The last method led to a more photo-active Fe-oxide/bentonite plate. This material allowed, at a non-adjusted initial pH of 5.5 and in the presence of H(2)O(2), the total degradation of resorcinol and 55% mineralization in 80 and 100 min of irradiation, respectively. The reached degradation percentages were correlated to the presence of dissolved iron, demonstrating that in these processes, the homogeneous photo-Fenton reactions were mainly responsible for the resorcinol elimination. Likewise, in slurry system, where clay has normally an increased surface area, there was no increase in activity because of a reduced leached iron probably due to the diminished light penetration in the suspension. Despite the lower surface area, in comparison to that of the slurry, the clay plates have the advantage, as heterogeneous photo-catalysts, that separation of the reaction media after treatment is not needed, and thus, a potential use for batch and continuous reaction systems is proposed.

Selection of supported cobalt substrates in the presence of oxone for the oxidation of monuron

The immobilization of cobalt ion on different media to catalyze oxone has been investigated. A probe herbicide, Monuron, was effectively degraded by using Co2+/oxone systems. For Co2+ supported on zeolite, 100% of Monuron could be removed within a 10 min reaction time. However, the recycling of the spent Co-zeolite catalyst using various posttreatments did not give a promising result. This is likely because the zeolite particles in solution have blocked and significantly attenuated the incident UV light from reducing Co3+ to Co2+. On the contrary, the use of cationic resin has minimized these problems. In the process of Co-resin/oxone/UV, faster Monuron decay could be achieved than that in the dark reaction. In the presence of UV, a significant drop of total organic carbon (TOC) was also observed in this approach suggesting an effective and clean process for Monuron mineralization.

Comparison of Fenton and sono-Fenton bisphenol A degradation

Degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) was carried out with the Fenton reagent with and without additional sonochemical treatment. The Fenton and the sono-Fenton decomposition of BPA showed that ultrasound irradiation of wastewater improved the wet oxidation process of 25 mg l(-1) BPA solutions. The sonochemical degradation of BPA was monitored using UV absorption and large volume injection packed capillary LC measurements.

An alternative multiple-trapping LC-SPE-NMR system

In this paper, we describe approaches that make RP LC-SPE-NMR simpler, and in our opinion, result in more reliable methods for trapping and subsequent transfer of separated trace-level compounds to the NMR. An SPE unit based on a commercially available, low dead-volume 10 port high-pressure column selector gives the possibility of trapping compounds on nine individual SPEs that have standard fittings. This allows the operator to employ specific stationary phases that are not available as SPEs in commercially available LC-SPE-NMR systems. Multiple trappings of small compounds like monuron, 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-methylurea, and 4-chlorophenylurea were easily performed employing a porous-carbon SPE material. The system was optimized to elute the SPE-trapped compounds to the NMR probes in as small a volume as possible using back-flushing. The proper match of NMR probe volume and SPE column inner diameter and elution volume was discussed, as well as the necessity of drying loaded SPEs prior to NMR transfer when using porous-carbon SPE material.