Study of UV/Chlorine Photolysis in regard to the Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs)

• Author / Creator

  Jin, Jing

• This thesis aims mainly at investigating the potential oxidizing abilities and possible applications of the UV/Chlorine process as an Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP).
  Several organic compounds were used and added into the samples as challenging radical scavengers to investigate the possibilities of the UV/Chlorine process being used in the water and wastewater treatment industry. The UV/H2O2 process was selected as a reference, and experiments were carried out parallel; the results obtained earlier in the UV/Chlorine process were compared to those of the UV/H2O2 process.
  Methanol was added into active chlorine solutions at both pH 5 and 10. The quantum yields for the degradation of active chlorine were calculated after the samples had been exposed to UV. Also the production of ∙OH radicals was calculated by determining the generation of formaldehyde. The OH radical yield factors, which are significant in evaluating AOPs, were calculated both in the UV/Chlorine and the UV/H2O2 processes. In addition to methanol, para-chlorobenzoic acid (pCBA) and cyclohexanoic acid (CHA) were added to active chlorine solutions and to H2O2 solutions. The first-order reaction rate constants for the oxidation of pCBA and CHA using the UV/Chlorine process were calculated and compared to those of the UV/H2O2 process. This allowed an evaluation of whether or not the UV/Chlorine process might be efficient for the treatment of contaminated water samples containing pCBA and/or CHA.
  Finally the thesis comes to a general conclusion about the efficiency of the UV/Chlorine process compared to that of the UV/H2O2 process.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Advanced oxidation
  • chlorine photolysis
  • hydroxyl radicals
  • methanol
  • p-chlorobenzoic acid
  • cyclohexanoic acid

• Graduation date

  Fall 2010

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3G608

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.