F. Benoitmarquie et al., PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF 2,4-DIHYDROXYBENZOIC ACID IN WATER - EFFICIENCY OPTIMIZATION AND MECHANISTIC INVESTIGATIONS, Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. A, Chemistry, 108(1), 1997, pp. 65-71
The experimental design and response surface methodologies have been a
pplied to the investigation of the TiO2-photocatalytic degradation of
2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA) in aqueous solutions. It has been sho
wn that a quadratic polynomial model may be used to assess adequately
the efficiency of the photocatalytic degradation as a function of DHBA
and TiO2 concentrations. Moreover, the study of response surfaces lea
ds to optimal conditions for investigating the catalyst efficiency. A
degradation mechanism involving the cleavage of the DHBA aromatic ring
at an early stage of the reaction is proposed. Such a mechanism accou
nts for the absence of any aromatic intermediate in the degradation pr
ocess. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.