Degradation of bisphenol A in water by the photo-Fenton reaction

The photodegradation of bisphenol A (BPA), a representative endocrine disrupting chemical, was carried out in the presence of the Fenton reagent. The degradation rate was strongly influenced by the pH, and initial concentrations of H2O2 and Fe(II). An initial BPA concentration of 10 mg l−1 was completely degraded after 9 min under the optimum conditions. This reaction was found to follow the first order kinetics law. The formation of CO2 as a result of mineralization of BPA was observed during the photo-Fenton process. The degree of BPA conversion to CO2 was more than 90% under UV irradiation for 36 h. The decomposition of BPA during the photo-Fenton treatment gave six kinds of intermediate products, such as phenol, p-hydroquinone, etc. The degradation mechanism of BPA was proposed on the base of the evidence of the identified intermediates. Based on these results, the photo-Fenton reaction could be useful technology for the treatment of wastewater containing BPA.