Chemical oxidative degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether in aqueous solution by Fenton's reagent

TY - JOUR

T1 - Chemical oxidative degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether in aqueous solution by Fenton's reagent

AU - Xu, Xiang Rong

AU - Zhao, Zhen Ye

AU - Li, Xiao Yan

AU - Gu, Ji Dong

N1 - Funding Information: Partial financial support was by the ITF grant (ITS/276/00) to J.-D. Gu. We would like to thank Keith Wong and Jessie Lai for their technical support.

PY - 2004/4

Y1 - 2004/4

N2 - Degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in aqueous solution by Fenton's reagent (Fe2+ and H2O2) was investigated. Effects of reaction conditions on the oxidation efficiency of MTBE by Fenton's reagent were examined in batch experiments. Under optimum conditions, 15 mM H2O2, 2 mM Fe2+, pH 2.8 and room temperature, the initial 1 mM MTBE solution was reduced by 99% within 120 min. Results showed that MTBE was decomposed in a two-stage reaction. MTBE was first decomposed swiftly based on a Fe2+/H2O2 reaction and then decomposed somewhat less rapidly based on a Fe 3+/H2O2 reaction. The detection of Fe 2+ also supported the theory of the two-stage reaction for the oxidation of MTBE by Fenton's reagent. The dissolved oxygen in the solution decreased rapidly in the first stage reaction, but it showed a slow increase in the second stage with a zero-order kinetics. A reaction mechanism involving two different pathways for the decomposition of MTBE by Fenton's reagent was also proposed. Chemicals including tert-butyl formate, tert-butyl alcohol, methyl acetate and acetone were identified to be the primary intermediates and by-products of the degradation processes.

AB - Degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in aqueous solution by Fenton's reagent (Fe2+ and H2O2) was investigated. Effects of reaction conditions on the oxidation efficiency of MTBE by Fenton's reagent were examined in batch experiments. Under optimum conditions, 15 mM H2O2, 2 mM Fe2+, pH 2.8 and room temperature, the initial 1 mM MTBE solution was reduced by 99% within 120 min. Results showed that MTBE was decomposed in a two-stage reaction. MTBE was first decomposed swiftly based on a Fe2+/H2O2 reaction and then decomposed somewhat less rapidly based on a Fe 3+/H2O2 reaction. The detection of Fe 2+ also supported the theory of the two-stage reaction for the oxidation of MTBE by Fenton's reagent. The dissolved oxygen in the solution decreased rapidly in the first stage reaction, but it showed a slow increase in the second stage with a zero-order kinetics. A reaction mechanism involving two different pathways for the decomposition of MTBE by Fenton's reagent was also proposed. Chemicals including tert-butyl formate, tert-butyl alcohol, methyl acetate and acetone were identified to be the primary intermediates and by-products of the degradation processes.

KW - Decomposition

KW - Fenton's reagent

KW - Hydroxyl radical

KW - MTBE

KW - Mechanism

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0346008019&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2003.11.017

DO - 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2003.11.017

M3 - 文章

C2 - 14720549

AN - SCOPUS:0346008019

SN - 0045-6535

VL - 55

SP - 73

EP - 79

JO - Chemosphere

JF - Chemosphere

IS - 1

ER -