Characteristics of p-chlorophenol degradation by Photo Fenton oxidation

This study investigated the characteristics of Photo Fenton oxidation in comparison with Fenton oxidation in dark environments. The specific objective was to provide an in-depth understanding as to how the presence of UV would effect the reaction and its efficiency as compared to the Dark Fenton Oxidation. All reactions were carried out in batch mode at an initial pH of 3.5, with H₂O₂ in excess and iron in catalytic concentrations. The medium pressure mercury lamp (320-400 nm) was used as a UV source. The role of UV in Photo Fenton Oxidation of p-chlorophenol was found to be manyfold as compared to Dark Fenton Oxidation. It included the expedition of ferric ion reduction and the photolysis of H₂O₂, which exerted a direct impact on the p-chlorophenol degradation kinetics by enhancing the production of OH radical. Also included in the role was alteration of the quantity (and potentially quality) of intermediates, which would lead to a change in the decomposition kinetics in an indirect manner. Therefore, it was concluded that the performance of Photo Fenton Oxidation as compared to Dark Fenton Oxidation could vary in complicated ways depending upon the characteristics of target compounds and their intermediates.