title: Catalytic and electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis of brominated diphenyl ethers.
abstract: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to their use as additive flame-retardants. Conventional catalytic hydrogenolysis in methanol solution and electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis in aqueous methanol were examined as methods for debrominating mono- and di-bromodiphenyl ethers, as well as a commercial penta-PBDE mixture, in each case using palladium on alumina as the catalyst. Electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis employed a divided flow-through batch cell, with reticulated vitreous carbon cathodes and IrO2/Ti dimensionally stable anodes. Both methods gave efficient sequential debromination, with essentially complete removal of bromine from the PBDEs, but the electrocatalytic method was limited by the poor solubility of PBDEs in aqueous methanol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont., Canada N1G 2W1.
authors.forename: Pascale M L
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Bonin
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Dorin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bejan
authors.forename: Chun Chi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Nigel J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Bunce
authors.forename: Alexandre D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Konstantinov
mesh_terms: D000537:Aluminum Oxide / Q000737:chemistry; D001966:Bromine / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D004563:Electrochemistry; D004987:Ethers; D010165:Palladium / Q000737:chemistry; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000737:chemistry*; D012995:Solubility; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004987:Ethers; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; D010165:Palladium; D000537:Aluminum Oxide; D001966:Bromine