Bisphenol A treatment by the hot persulfate process: oxidation products and acute toxicity

Abstract

In this study, a thermally activated persulfate oxidation process was investigated to treat aqueous Bisphenol A (BPA) solution. The effect of temperature (40-50-60-70°C), initial pH (pH=3.0, 6.5, 9.0 and 11.0) and persulfate concentration (0-20mM) on bisphenol A (BPA) and TOC removals was examined. The activation energy for hot persulfate oxidation of BPA was calculated as 184 ± 12 kJ/mol. Acidic and neutral pH values were more favorable for BPA oxidation than basic pH values. TOC removals did not exhibit a specific pattern with varying initial pHs. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was employed to identify oxidation products. Several aromatic and a few aliphatic compounds could be detected including benzaldehyde, p-isopropenyl phenol, 2,3-dimethyl benzoic acid, 3-hydroxy-4-methyl-benzoic acid, ethylene glycol monoformate and succinic acid. Acute toxicity tests conducted with Vibrio fischeri indicated that the inhibitory effect of 88 μM BPA solution originally being 58%, increased to 84% after 30 min and decreased to 22% after 90 min hot persulfate treatment that could be attributed to the formation and subsequent disappearance of oxidation products.

Keywords: Acute toxicity; Bisphenol A; GC/MS analyses; Hot persulfate treatment; Oxidation products.