Effects of ferric ion on the photo-treatment of nonionic surfactant Brij35 washing waste containing 2,2',4,4'-terabromodiphenyl ether

Kaibo Huang; Jiahao Liang; Chad T Jafvert; Qiuyue Li; Sishuo Chen; Xueqin Tao; Mengyao Zou; Zhi Dang; Guining Lu

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125572

Effects of ferric ion on the photo-treatment of nonionic surfactant Brij35 washing waste containing 2,2',4,4'-terabromodiphenyl ether

J Hazard Mater. 2021 Aug 5:415:125572. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125572. Epub 2021 Mar 6.

Authors

Kaibo Huang¹, Jiahao Liang², Chad T Jafvert³, Qiuyue Li², Sishuo Chen⁴, Xueqin Tao⁴, Mengyao Zou⁴, Zhi Dang⁵, Guining Lu⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Lyles School of Civil Engineering, and Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette 47960, USA.
² School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
³ Lyles School of Civil Engineering, and Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette 47960, USA.
⁴ College of Resources and Environment, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China.
⁵ School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; The Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
⁶ School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; The Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: lutao@scut.edu.cn.

PMID: 33725551
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125572

Abstract

The effects of ferric iron on the photo-treatment of simulated BDE-47 (2,2',4,4'- terabromodiphenyl ether)-Brij35 (Polyoxyethylene lauryl ether) washing waste were studied to evaluate the influences of ferric iron on BDE-47 removal and Brij35 recovery. The results show that Fe³⁺ accelerated BDE-47 degradation at lower concentrations (<0.5 mM) but attenuated it at higher concentrations (0.5-5 mM) and that Brij35 loss was increased with increasing Fe³⁺. These results likely are caused by changes in the rate of •OH production due to the ferric ion, association of Fe³⁺ and electron transfer from Brij35, and light attenuation at high concentration. The BDE-47 and Brij35 had different degradation rates at different pH values and at different dissolved oxygen concentrations. The BDE-47 products were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The results indicated that BDE-47 transformed into mainly lower-brominated products, a few bromodibenzofurans, some rearrangement products, and some hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers. A series of Brij35 oxidization products were detected by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS), including hydroxylation products, carboxylation products, and some hydrophilic chain-breaking products. Brij35 was mainly oxidized by Fe³⁺ and/or reactive oxygen species (ROS) with the final products of CO₂ and H₂O. The iron ions apparently cycled from ferric to ferrous ions in the micelles such that the Fe³⁺-Brij35 complex dominated the main redox reaction, leading to both BDE-47 and Brij35 degradation. It appears that in any applied soil washing system, the ferric ions in the washing waste need to be removed because of the adverse effects on BDE-47 removal and eluate reuse.

Keywords: BDE-47; Brij35; Fe(3+); Mechanism; Pathway; UV.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't