Photochemical degradation of butyl acrylate in different aqueous media

Solutions of butyl acrylate in distilled, riverine and artificial and natural sea waters were photolyzed in a photochemical reactor equipped with a 125 W medium pressure mercury lamp. The kinetic studies revealed different reaction rates in different reaction media: riverine distilled > artificial sea water > natural sea water. The products detected in the reaction mixture were butanol and a complex polymer consisting mostly of aliphatic chains. The photocatalyzed degradation of butyl acrylate in the presence of semiconductor oxides TiO2 and ZnO was also studied. The efficiency of the process, which leads to a rapid disappearance of substrate, is dependent on the nature and the concentration of the catalyst.