Influence of coexisting substances on the photodegradation behaviors of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in the UV/H2O2 process

The batch photodegradation reactor was used to investigate the influence of the common coexisting substances in wastewater,such as H+,anions (HCO3-,Cl-and NO3-) and organic compounds (methanol and bisphenol A),on the photodegradation behaviors of EE2 in the UV/H2O2 process.The results indicated that the addition of coexisting substances can influence the photodegradation behaviors of EE2 and it also follows the first-order kinetics.The acidic (pH 2-4) and alkaline (pH 10-12) medium benefit the photodegradation of EE2,but the photodegradation rate constant of EE2 keeps almost constant in the pH value of 4-10.The addition of anions,such as HCO3-,Cl-and NO3-,can inhibit the photodegradation of EE2,and the rate constant has a negative linear relationship with the concentration of the anions.However,the reduction degrees vary with the anions kinds,and the inhibition effect of the three anions is in the order of HCO3-NO3-Cl-.Addition of 5 mg/L methanol and bisphenol A can reduce the photodegradation rate constant of EE2by 84.31% and 72%,respectively.By comparison,the retardant effect of methanol is much more evident.In the studied concentrations range,the photodegradation rate constant of EE2 is the unary quadratic function of the organic compounds concentrations.