KINETICS OF PHENOL PHOTOOXIDATION BY HYDROGEN-PEROXIDE AND ULTRAVIOLET-RADIATION

Oxidative degradation of phenol by H2O2 and ultraviolet radiation is c arried out, and a kinetic model is derived in order to represent the p hotooxidation reaction. The model equations are fitted by the experime ntal data collected for two distinct phases of reaction, marked as pha se I and phase II. In the first phase H2O2 concentration is the contro lling factor in the degradation process, whereas in the second phase c oncentration of phenol is the controlling species. A mechanistic expla nation of the behavior has been presented.