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Degradation of Diuron by Electrochemically Activated Persulfate

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Abstract

An electrochemically activated persulfate (EC/PS) system was proposed for the degradation of herbicide diuron in this study. In the EC/PS system, the ferrous ions (Fe2+) produced from iron electrode can activate persulfate to generate sulfate radical (SO4 ·-) as well as hydroxyl radical (OH•). The results showed that the degradation of diuron was significantly enhanced in the EC/PS system, compared to electrocoagulation, persulfate, and Fe2+/PS process. Both of SO4 ·- and OH· contributed to the degradation of diuron in the EC/PS system according to the radical scavenging studies. The pseudo first-order rate constants of diuron increased with increasing the applied currents and dosages of persulfate. pH affected the degradation of diuron indirectly through the speciation of iron and resulted in higher removal efficiency in acidic condition than in alkaline condition. Chloride, carbonate, and bicarbonate in real water inhibited the degradation of diuron dramatically through consuming SO4 ·- and OH· and abided by the order of CO3 2−>HCO3 −>Cl−. This study demonstrates that the EC/PS system is a novel, efficient, promising, and environmental-friendly method to treat diuron contamination.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation (51508174) and the Central University Basic Scientific Research Business Special Fund Projects (531107040812).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Water Engineering and Science, College of Civil Engineering, Key Laboratory of Building Safety and Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Education, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, China

    Yanghai Yu, Shiqing Zhou, Lingjun Bu & Zhou Shi

  2. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Shumin Zhu

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  1. Yanghai Yu
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  2. Shiqing Zhou
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  3. Lingjun Bu
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  4. Zhou Shi
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Correspondence to Shiqing Zhou.

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Yu, Y., Zhou, S., Bu, L. et al. Degradation of Diuron by Electrochemically Activated Persulfate. Water Air Soil Pollut 227, 279 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-016-2978-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-016-2978-9

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