Photodegradation of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) by Fe(III) complexes/H₂O ₂ under simulated sunlight

Zhou, Danna; Wu, Yao; Feng, Xiaonan; Chen, Yong; Wang, Zongping; Tao, Tao; Wei, Dongbin

Photodegradation of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) by Fe(III) complexes/H₂O ₂ under simulated sunlight

2014

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a globally produced brominated flame retardant used primarily as an additive flame retardant in polystyrene and textile products. Photodegradation of HBCD in the presence of Fe(III)-carboxylate complexes/H₂O₂ was investigated under simulated sunlight. The degradation of HBCD decreased with increasing pH in the Fe(III)-oxalate solutions. In contrast, the optimum pH was 5.0 for the Fe(III)-citrate-catalyzed photodegradation within the range of 3.0 to 7.0. For both Fe(III)-oxalate and Fe(III)-citrate complexes, the increase of carboxylate concentrations facilitated the photodegradation. The photochemical removal of HBCD was related to the photoreactivity and speciation distribution of Fe(III) complexes. The addition of H₂O₂ markedly accelerated the degradation of HBCD in the presence of Fe(III)-citrate complexes. The quenching experiments showed that ·OH was responsible for the photodegradation of HBCD in the Fe(III)-carboxylate complexes/H₂O₂ solutions. The results suggest that Fe(III) complexes/H₂O₂ catalysis is a potential method for the removal of HBCD in the aqueous solutions.

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