Enhancement of the rate of solar photocatalytic mineralization of organic pollutants by inorganic oxidizing species

Particulate suspensions of TiO(2) irradiated with natural solar light in a large experimental plant catalyze the oxidation of a typical organic contaminant: pentachlorophenol (PCP). The addition of oxidants, concentration of which is kept constant during treatment, such as hydrogen peroxide, peroxymonosulphate (oxone) and peroxydisulphate increases the rate of photodegradation of PCP in the following order: S(2)O(8)(2-) > Oxone > H(2)O(2). Peroxydisulphate (10 mM), selected as the best oxidant studied, has been applied to the development of a solar photocatalytic plant for the treatment of commercial pesticide rinsates found in the wastewater produced by a pesticide container recycling plant, which includes the correct treatment of this highly contaminating effluent. The first results, without process or hardware optimisation, show that peroxydisulphate enhances the photocatalytic mineralization rate at least five times. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.