Naphthalene degradation in seawater by UV irradiation: The effects of fluence rate, salinity, temperature and initial concentration

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin 2014-04, Vol.81 (1), p.149-156
• Main Authors: Jing, Liang, Chen, Bing, Zhang, Baiyu, Zheng, Jisi, Liu, Bo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Fluence; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Irradiation; Kinetics; Marine and brackish environment; Naphthalene; Naphthalenes - chemistry; Oil pollution; PAHs; Petroleum Pollution - analysis; Photodegradation; Photodegradation kinetics; Photolysis; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Salinity; Sea water; Sea water ecosystems; Seawater; Seawater - chemistry; Synecology; Temperature; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.02.003

•The removal of naphthalene follows first order kinetics in seawater.•Irradiance and temperature are the most influential factors.•An increase in irradiance can linearly promote photodegradation.•High salinity suppresses the photodegradation of naphthalene. A large amount of oil pollution at sea is produced by the operational discharge of oily wastewater. The removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from such sources using UV irradiation has become attractive, yet the photolysis mechanism in seawater has remained unclear. This study examines the photodegradation kinetics of naphthalene in natural seawater through a full factorial design of experiments (DOE). The effects of fluence rate, salinity, temperature and initial concentration are investigated. Results show that fluence rate, temperature and the interaction between temperature and initial concentration are the most influential factors. An increase in fluence rate can linearly promote the photodegradation process. Salinity increasingly impedes the removal of naphthalene because of the existence of free-radical scavengers and photon competitors. The results will help understand the photolysis mechanism of PAHs and develop more effective methods for treating oily seawater generated from offshore industries.