title: Effect of chlorides and sulfates on the performance of a Fe3+/H2O2 Fenton-like system in the degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether and its byproducts.
abstract: The effect of chloride and sulfate ions on the oxidation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and its degradation products in a Fenton-like system was studied. Although both chloride and sulfate ions inhibited the decomposition of H202, chlorides were found to be the more effective inhibitor of MTBE degradation. In the presence of sulfates, MTBE decomposition can be attributed to oxidation not only by hydroxyl radicals, but also likely by SO4*- species. In the presence of chloride ions, it is possible that the dichloride radical is formed, which is less reactive than OH*. In the system under investigation, t-butyl alcohol was found to be the major byproduct, followed by t-butyl formate and acetone. The degradation rates of all intermediates and their inhibition in the presence of inorganic ions are similar to those obtained for MTBE, although their distributions are related to the concentrations of inorganic salts added.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Siedlecka
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stepnowski
mesh_terms: D002712:Chlorides / Q000737:chemistry*; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry*; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013431:Sulfates / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; C045076:Fenton's reagent; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D013431:Sulfates; C043243:methyl tert-butyl ether; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D007501:Iron