Ultrasonic cavitation applied to the treatment of bisphenol A. Effect of sonochemical parameters and analysis of BPA by-products.
Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical compound largely used in the plastics industry, can end up in aquatic systems, which it disturbs by its endocrine disrupting effect (EDE). This study investigated the BPA degradation upon ultrasonic action under different experimental conditions. The effect of saturating gas (oxygen, argon and air), BPA concentration (0.15-460 micromol L(-1)), ultrasonic frequency (300-800 kHz) and power (20-80 W) were evaluated. For a 118 micromol L(-1)-BPA solution, with the best performance obtained at 300 kHz, 80 W, with oxygen as saturating gas. In these conditions, BPA can be readily eliminated by the ultrasound process (approximately 90 min). However, even after long ultrasound irradiation times (9 h), more than 50% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 80% of total organic carbon (TOC) remained in the solution. Analyses of intermediates using HPLC-MS investigation identified several products: monohydroxylated bisphenol A, 4-isopropenylphenol, quinone of monohydroxylated bisphenol A, dihydroxylated bisphenol A, quinone of dihydroxylated bisphenol A, monohydroxylated-4-isopropenylphenol and 4-hydroxyacetophenone. The presence of these hydroxylated aromatic structures showed that the main ultrasonic BPA degradation pathway is related to the reaction of BPA with the *OH radical. After 2h, these early products were converted into biodegradable aliphatic acids.
Torres
Ricardo A
RA
Laboratoire de Chimie Moléculaire et Environnement, Polytech'Savoie-Université de Savoie, 73376 Le Bourget-du-Lac, France; Grupo de Electroquímica, Instituto de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Antioquia, A. A. 1226, Medellín, Colombia.
Pétrier
Christian
C
Laboratoire de Chimie Moléculaire et Environnement, Polytech'Savoie-Université de Savoie, 73376 Le Bourget-du-Lac, France. Electronic address: christian.petrier@univ-savoie.fr.
Combet
Evelyne
E
Laboratoire de Chimie Moléculaire et Environnement, Polytech'Savoie-Université de Savoie, 73376 Le Bourget-du-Lac, France.
Carrier
Marion
M
Institut de Recherche sur la Catalyse et l'Environnement de Lyon (IRCE LYON), CNRS UM 5256, Université Lyon 1, 2 Avenue Albert Einstein, 69626 Villeurbanne Cédex, France.
Pulgarin
Cesar
C
Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, GGEC, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D002384:Catalysis; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005740:Gases; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000737:chemistry; D007501:Iron; D007700:Kinetics; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D014465:Ultrasonics; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds