Activation of Peracetic Acid by Trace Ferrous Ion and Vacuum Ultraviolet for the Ultrafast Degradation of PPCPs

• Published in: ACS ES&T water 2022-12, Vol.2 (12), p.2590-2601
• Main Authors: Zhang, Bin, Li, Wenqian, Zhang, Hao-chen, Li, Boda, Ma, Jun, He, Xu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2690-0637; 2690-0637
• DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00366

Herein, the vacuum ultraviolet system (VUV) was introduced into the peracetic acid/ferrous ion (PAA/Fe­(II)) process for the first time to treat the micropollutants in water. When contaminant concentrations (i.e., 10 μM) are comparable to those reported in previous literature, the VUV/PAA/Fe­(II) system with a low dosage of PAA (i.e., 50 μM) and trace Fe­(II) ion (i.e., 5 μM to 10 μM) exhibited remarkable performance for carbamazepine (CBZ) degradation (more than 90%) within just 5 min and at a wide pH range from 3.0 to 9.0. The outstanding performance of the VUV/PAA/Fe­(II) system was attributed to the favorable synergistic effect of the UV-induced Fe­(II) regeneration cycle and the activation of PAA as well as H2O2 (coming from both the PAA solution and reactions occurring in the VUV system). Furthermore, the calculated low EE/O value confirmed the energy saving characteristic of the VUV/PAA/Fe­(II) system. Considering that the initial Fe­(II) concentration required by the system is within the Fe­(II) concentration range in natural groundwater and can be further reduced to the value lower than the commonly utilized threshold of Fe for drinking water, this study provides a possibility for the improvement of the UV-based Fenton-like system by in situ utilization of inherent trace metal ions in natural water.