H2O2/UV and TiO2/UV processes for the removal of dichloroacetic acid in water. A comparative study

C.S. ZALAZAR; M.L. SATUF; R.J. BRANDI; A.E. CASSANO

Santos, Brasil

Congreso; IV EPOA: Encontro sobre Aplicaçoes Ambientais de Processos Oxidativos Avançados; 2007

The degradation of dichloroacetic acid (DCA) employing two advanced oxidation technologies, hydrogen peroxide with UV radiation (H2O2/UV) and photocatalysis with titanium dioxide (TiO2/UV), is analized. Four criteria have been defined to compare the performances of both processes. In this summary we report two of them: (i) the Quantum Efficiency, and (ii) the Specific Energy Consumption to degrade 50 % of the initial Total Organic Carbon (TOC). The results indicate that H2O2/UV exhibit, by a large difference, the best performance after making comparisons employing the above-mentioned criteria (Table 1). These results cannot be safely extrapolated to other contexts when: (i) other compounds of very different structure are degraded, and (ii) a different catalyst is used.