Effects of Nitrobenzene's mass transfer at water-air interface

Environ Technol. 2023 Aug;44(20):3074-3082. doi: 10.1080/09593330.2022.2050819. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

Abstract

As a volatile organic compound, nitrobenzene has high vapor pressure and low boiling point, and it is very volatile when it enters the water body and enters the air. The mass transfer of VOCs at the water-air interface is a complex process of transboundary transport. In this paper, the effects of water temperature, interface turbulence, surfactant concentration, and humic acid concentration on the volatilization of nitrobenzene at the water-air interface were investigated. Under the influence of temperature, the volatilization of nitrobenzene accorded with the first-order kinetic equation. When the temperature increased from 5 ℃ to 25 ℃, the volatilization rate of nitrobenzene increased by 2.03 times. Temperature for volatilization rate constant was in accordance with the Arrhenius equation. The water-gas distribution of volatile organic compounds was in accordance with the Boltzman equation. Under the same temperature conditions, when the agitating intensity increased from 0 r/min to 250 r/min, the volatilization rate constant of nitrobenzene increased by 1.51 times. When the surfactant is greater than the critical micelle concentration, the volatilization rate constant of nitrobenzene decreases with the increase of surfactant. When the concentration of humic acid increased from 100 mg/L to 500 mg/L, the half-life increased by 1.14 h, and the volatilization rate decreased by 1.14 h, reduced by 17%. The results showed that the increase of temperature and the intensification of stirring had a significant promoting effect on the volatilization of nitrobenzene, while the surfactant and humic acid both played an inhibitory effect on the volatilization of nitrobenzene.

Keywords: Nitrobenzene; influencing factors; volatilization; water–air interface.

MeSH terms

  • Humic Substances*
  • Nitrobenzenes
  • Surface-Active Agents
  • Volatile Organic Compounds*
  • Volatilization
  • Water

Substances

  • Humic Substances
  • Water
  • Surface-Active Agents
  • Volatile Organic Compounds
  • Nitrobenzenes