Elimination of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol by UV radiation combined with H2O2

The decomposition of 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol aqueous solutions, an environmen tal pollutant mainly present in wastewaters from the pulp bleaching industr ies, has been conducted in a photochemical reactor by the Advanced Oxidatio n Process constituted by the combination of UV radiation and hydrogen perox ide. The operating variables temperature and hydrogen peroxide initial conc entration have been modified and a positive influence of both variables on the global degradation process is observed. For the kinetic study, a reacti on mechanism is proposed and a rate equation is deduced for this process. T he application of the experimental data to that rate equation leads to the evaluation of the kinetic constants for the radical reaction between the or ganic compound and the hydroxyl radicals generated in the photodecompositio n of the hydrogen peroxide. These kinetic constants are correlated as a fun ction of the temperature by an Arrhenius-type expression.