title: Photocatalytic degradation of 4-tert-octylphenol in a spiral photoreactor system.
abstract: A spiral photoreactor system (SPS) was developed for the degradation of 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP) in aqueous phase. 4-t-OP was previously considered as a endocrine disrupting compound frequently present in water. The direct photodegradation reaction caused by the SPS was found to accord with the characteristic of apparent first-order reaction with reaction rate constant k = 4.8 x 10(-2) min(-1). However, the direct photodegradation reaction could not make the 4-t-OP mineralized. The photodegradation efficiency increased from 88% to 91.2% in 45 min irradiation period after the internal surface of SPS was sintered with TiO2 thin film as catalyst. Catalyst concentration, number of catalyst coating layers and initial concentration of 4-t-OP were proven to be the factors affecting the photocatalytic degradation performance of the SPS on aqueous 4-t-OP. The degradation mechanism was investigated and the byproducts were analyzed using total organic carbon analyzer (TOC) and LC-MS. The possible chemical structures of the products were suggested. SPS with single layer of TiO2 prepared by sintering 13.6% of TiO2 precursor was proven to be more efficient than most of previous systems for removal of 4-t-OP from aqueous phase. 28.3% of the 4-t-OP was mineralized in 45 min according to the decreased amount of TOC value.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China. wuyanlin2004@163.com
authors.forename: Yanlin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Haixia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Xiaoxuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Guanran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Chunlei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wenbo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry*; D007220:Industrial Waste; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry*; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007220:Industrial Waste; D010636:Phenols; C105260:4-tert-octylphenol