Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
4476526 Marine Pollution Bulletin 2016 4 Pages PDF
Abstract

•A new methodology has been proposed for the treatment of oil pollution.•A novel method for oil degradation has been suggested.•Photodegradation of maritime oil pollutants has been discussed in this study.

Bioremediation is currently extensively employed in the elimination of coastal oil pollution, but it is not very effective as the process takes several months to degrade oil.Among the components of oil, benzene degradation is difficult due to its stable characteristics. This paper describes an experimental study on the decomposition of benzene by titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanometer photocatalysis. The photocatalyst is illuminated with 360-nm ultraviolet light for generation of peroxide ions. This results in complete decomposition of benzene, thus yielding CO2 and H2O. In this study, a nonwoven fabric is coated with the photocatalyst and benzene. Using the Double-Shot Py–GC system on the residual component, complete decomposition of the benzene was verified by 4 h of exposure to ultraviolet light. The method proposed in this study can be directly applied to elimination of marine oil pollution. Further studies will be conducted on coastal oil pollution in situ.

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Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Earth and Planetary Sciences Oceanography
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