Photocatalytic degradation of Bisphenol A: Kinetic studies and determination of the reaction pathway

Abstract

The photocatalytic degradation of BPA aqueous solutions with commercial TiO2 (Evonik P25) was carried out in a home-made batch reactor illuminated with four UV lamps (?max= 365 nm) in order to determine the kinetic parameters of the reaction rate equation and to identify and quantify some of the most stable aromatic intermediate reaction products. Low concentration (20 ppm) BPA solutions were completely degraded and mineralized in less than three hours of reaction. Whereas, BPA aqueous solutions with concentration above 50 ppm are transformed in other chemical compounds in 6 hours of reaction and fully mineralized in 15 hours of reaction. Kinetic analysis of the experimental results of BPA concentration as a function of time indicated that this photocatalytic degradation process follows a LH-HW reaction rate law where the reaction order shift from zero order to first order as the reactant concentration is decreased. Analysis of the reaction samples by different analytical techniques indicated that BPA is mineralized via formation of hydroquinone, benzoquinone, benzene-triol, catechol, and phenol by two simultaneous reaction pathways.