Photocatalytic degradation of Bisphenol A (BPA) using immobilized TiO 2 and UV illumination in a horizontal circulating bed photocatalytic reactor (HCBPR)

Abstract

Photocatalytic degradation of Bisphenol A (BPA) in the presence of titanium dioxide (TiO 2) and ultraviolet (UV) illumination was performed in a self-designed horizontal circulating bed photocatalytic reactor (HCBPR). TiO 2 catalyst was immobilized on the surface of polyurethane foam (PF) cubes via microwave-assisted liquid phase deposition. The effects of initial BPA concentration, initial pH, TiO 2 dosage and temperature on BPA photodegradation were investigated in order to obtain the optimum operational conditions. The results reveal that the BPA degradation efficiency can be effectively improved by increasing pH from 3.4 to 12.3 or decreasing the initial BPA concentration from 50 to 10 ppm. The optimum TiO 2 carrier dosage (the ratio of the volume of PF carriers to the effective reaction volume of HCBPR) was about 1%. Besides, the effect of temperature on BPA photodegradation was found to be unremarkable in the range of 21.2–30.5 °C. Total organic carbon (TOC) was used to evaluate the mineralization of BPA during the photodegradation process. Under the optimum conditions, 95% removal of TOC and 97% removal of BPA can be achieved after 6 h of UV radiation, which demonstrates the high photodegradation efficiency of BPA in HCBPR.