Abstract
In this study, hematite nanoparticles (HNPs) were used as the persulfate (PS) activator for the sonocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A (BPA). The physicochemical properties of the synthesized HNPs were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effect of different operational parameters (pH, nanoparticle dosage, persulfate concentration, and ultrasonic power) on catalytic activity were evaluated. The BPA degradation rate was improved when ultrasonic (US) irradiation was used simultaneously with HNPs for activating PS. According to the results, 98.94% of BPA (10 mg/L) was degraded within 15 min of reaction time at 4 mM persulfate and 0.01 g/L HNPs under ultrasonic irradiation of 250 W. The degree of mineralization of BPA was measured using chemical oxygen demand (COD), and 36.98% was achieved under optimum conditions. Quenching tests were done using different scavenger compounds; these showed that both hydroxyl and sulfate radicals were reactive species in BPA degradation. According to the results of reusability tests, the degradation efficiency decreased to 86.34%, indicating that HNPs can be recycled several times. All of the anions tested, but mainly hydrogen phosphate, had an inhibitory effect on BPA degradation. The results showed that the US/HNPs/PS process is effective for the degradation of the organic pollutants.
Highlights
Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) contain a variety of toxic organic compounds, which are emerging contaminants in water resources (Staples et al ; Vandenberg et al ).Bisphenol A (BPA; 4,40-(propane-2,2-diyl)diphenol) is widely used as a monomer in the plastics industry to produce materials such as epoxy resins and polycarbonates; it is used in various consumer products such as food packaging, PVC, and baby bottles
The approximate crystallite size of HNPs was found to be in the range of 65.86–74.80 nm, which indicated that the surface of the hematite nanoparticles was almost porous and provided active sites for improving process efficiency
The results indicated that both SOÀ4 and OH radicals were responsible for BPA degradation using the US/HNPs/PS process
Summary
Bisphenol A (BPA; 4,40-(propane-2,2-diyl)diphenol) is widely used as a monomer in the plastics industry to produce materials such as epoxy resins and polycarbonates; it is used in various consumer products such as food packaging, PVC, and baby bottles. This pollutant is introduced into the environment by point and non-point sources (Staples et al ; Vandenberg et al ; Rochester ). BPA levels reported in runoff and drinking water were 12 μg/L and 0.1 μg/L, respectively, and in some sources the detected concentrations were higher than 100 mg/L (Staples et al ; Escalona et al ). Very low levels of BPA lead to cardiovascular diseases, propagation of human prostate cancer cells, and type 2 diabetes (Mohapatra et al )
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