Photocatalytic degradation of 4-tert-octylphenol in a spiral photoreactor system

A spiral photoreactor system (SPS) was developed for the degradation of 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP) in aqueous phase. 4-t-OP was previously considered as a endocrine disrupting compound frequently present in water. The direct photodegradation reaction caused by the SPS was found to accord with the characteristic of apparent first-order reaction with reaction rate constant k = 4.8 × 10−2 min−1. However, the direct photodegradation reaction could not make the 4-t-OP mineralized. The photodegradation efficiency increased from 88% to 91.2% in 45 min irradiation period after the internal surface of SPS was sintered with TiO2 thin film as catalyst. Catalyst concentration, number of catalyst coating layers and initial concentration of 4-t-OP were proven to be the factors affecting the photocatalytic degradation performance of the SPS on aqueous 4-t-OP. The degradation mechanism was investigated and the byproducts were analyzed using total organic carbon analyzer (TOC) and LC-MS. The possible chemical structures of the products were suggested. SPS with single layer of TiO2 prepared by sintering 13.6% of TiO2 precursor was proven to be more efficient than most of previous systems for removal of 4-t-OP from aqueous phase. 28.3% of the 4-t-OP was mineralized in 45 min according to the decreased amount of TOC value.