Sonochemical and photosonochemical degradation of 4-chlorophenol in aqueous media

The degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) in aqueous media by 516 kHz ultrasonic irradiation was investigated in order to clarify the degradation mechanism. The degradation of concentrated 4-CP solution by means of ultrasound, UV irradiation and their combined application was also studied. The obtained results indicate that OH radical are the primary reactive species responsible for 4-CP ultrasonic degradation. Very little 4-CP degradation occurs if the sonolysis is carried out in the presence of the OH radical scavenger tert-butyl alcohol, also indicating that little or no pyrolysis of the compound occurs. The dominant degradation mechanism is the reaction of substrate with OH radicals at the gas bubble–liquid interface rather than high temperature direct pyrolysis in ultrasonic cavities. This mechanism can explain the lower degradation rate of the ionic form of 4-CP that is partly due to the rapid dissociation of OH radicals in alkaline solutions. The sonochemical destruction of concentrated 4-CP aqueous solution is obtained with low rate. Coupling photolysis with ultrasound irradiation results in increased efficiency compared to the individual processes operating at common conditions. Interestingly, the photosonochemical decomposition rate constant is greater than the additive rate constants of the two processes. This may be the result of three different oxidative processes direct photochemical action, high frequency sonochemistry and reaction with ozone produced by UV irradiation of air, dissolved in liquid phase because of the geyser effect of ultrasound streaming. Additionally, the photodecomposition, at 254 nm, of hydrogen peroxide produced by ultrasound generating OH radical can partly explain the destruction enhancement.