Modeling Polystyrene Nanoplastics Degradation in Water via Photo-Fenton Treatment: A Shrinking-Core Approach

C. DI LUCA; J. GARCÍA; M. MUNOZ; Z. M. DE PEDRO

Florianópolis

Conferencia; VI Iberoamerican Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies (VI CIPOA); 2024

Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Química

AOPs have emerged as promising treatment alternatives for the effective degradation of nanoplastics (NPs) in water. However, the research field is still in its infancy, and there are no kinetic models available to represent the advanced oxidation of micro(nano)plastics (MNP) in aqueous systems. In this study, a kinetic model based on particles with decreasing diameters is proposed for the photo-Fenton oxidation of polystyrene (PS) NPs. Various reaction parameters affecting the oxidation rate, such as particle size, agitation speed, and reaction temperature, were analyzed. From these results, the overall reaction rate can bedivided into two stages following a free-radical mechanism, considering: an initiation stage followed for a propagation step. Based on the classic Shrinking Core Model (SCM), mathematical expressions were proposed and adapted to represent the conversion of PS NPs upon photo-Fenton treatment.