Photoreactivity of hydroxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes and its effects on the photodegradation of atenolol in water

In spite of the increasing concerns about the fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and the nanomaterial pollution in aquatic ecosystem, the effects of carbon nanotubes on the photochemical transformation of PPCPs are less considered. In this study, the photochemical production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were examined in colloidal dispersions of hydroxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT-OH) under simulated solar irradiation using a Xenon lamp. Two kinds of ROS, 1O2 and OH, were confirmed by their molecular probes, furfuryl alcohol (FFA) and p-chlorobenzoic acid (PCBA). The steady-state concentrations of 1O2 and OH were calculated as 1.30 × 10−14 M and 5.02 × 10−16 M, respectively. The effects of MWNT-OH on photodegradation of atenolol (ATL) were investigated in the presence of natural water components, i.e., dissolved organic matters (DOMs), nitrate (NO3-) and ferric ions (Fe3+). Photoproducts of atenolol were identified by solid phase extraction-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-MS) analysis techniques. Three potential photochemical pathways of atenolol, including the hydroxylation on aromatic ring, the loss of amide group and the cleavage of ether oxygen bond as well as di-polymerization of reaction intermediates were tentatively proposed. Using the radical quenching method, reaction with OH was determined as the major photolysis pathway of atenolol in irradiated MWNT-OH suspensions. These findings of the production of ROS and their effects on the photodegradation of organic contaminants provided useful information for assessing environmental risk of MWNT-OH.