An Innovative Ultrasound, Fe(2+) and TiO(2) Photoassisted Process for Bisphenol A Mineralization

This paper explores the degradation of a model pollutant, bisphenol A, by an advanced oxidation process that combines sonolysis, Fe(2+), and TiO(2) in a photoassisted process. Experiments were done under saturated oxygen conditions. The effect of different Fe(2+) (0.56 and 5.6 mg/L) and TiO(2) (10 and 50 mg/L) concentrations was investigated on both the elimination and mineralization of the pollutant. A pronounced synergistic effect that led to the complete and rapid elimination of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was observed even at low catalyst loadings. In this system, almost a complete removal of DOC (93%) was observed after 4 h using 10 and 5.6 mg/L of TiO(2) and Fe(2+), respectively, whereas at the same time, only 5, 6, and 22% of DOC was removed by an individual process alone (TiO(2) photocatalysis, ultrasound, and photo-Fenton, respectively). In this system, ultrasound has the principal role of eliminating the initial substrate and providing hydrogen peroxide for the photocatalytic systems, while photo-Fenton and TiO(2) photocatalysis are mainly responsible for the transformation of the intermediates in CO(2) and H(2)O. The role of H(2)O(2) generated from the sonochemical process is also discussed.