Treatment of Perfluorinated Compounds and Nitroaromatics by Photocatalysis in the Presence of Ultraviolet and Solar Light

摘要

Nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are two classes of water contaminants of DoD concern due to their risk to the environment, personnel, and mission. This study investigated the potential of an innovative technology, oxidation using titanium dioxide (TiO2) and TiO2 doped with silver (Ag-TiO2) as photocatalyst, to effectively and energy efficiently treat NAC and PFC-contaminated water. Three model contaminants, 2,4- DNT (NAC), and PFOA and PFOS (PFCs), were degraded using TiO2 and Ag-TiO2 immobilized on glass slides under sunlight and UV light in atmospheric conditions and at neutral pH. 2,4-DNT degraded 14% and 15% in the presence of Ag-TiO2 and TiO2, respectively, under sunlight after 8 hours. After 8 hours under UV light, 2,4-DNT degraded 13% and 29% in the presence of Ag-TiO2 and TiO2, respectively. Results indicate that PFOA and PFOS do not degrade under the conditions of the experiment. Further study is needed to investigate the viability of the technology to treat NAC- and PFC-contaminated water.