Photo-fenton and UV photo degradation of naphthalene with zero- and two-valent iron in the presence of persulfate

An initial set of 12 kinetic experiments was carried out to remove naphthalene from an aqueous effluent by photo-Fenton involving Fe⁰ and Fe²⁺ at two different concentrations of H₂O₂ (150 and 300?mg?L^?1) and three different pHs (3, 5, and 7) (2²×3¹ experiments). The rate constants (k) for the reaction of naphthalene degradation by involving Fe²⁺ as reactant were in general higher than those with Fe⁰, but the use of Fe²⁺ increased the concentration of naphthalene at equilibrium (C_e) when compared with the same response obtained with Fe⁰ at analogous conditions. A second set of twelve kinetic experiments of photo-Fenton degradation was also performed with persulfate as additive at the conditions already reported, but at a constant concentration of H₂O₂ of 150?mg?L^?1 (2¹×3¹ experiments with NaCl +2¹×3¹ experiments without NaCl). In almost all the runs in which only the source of iron was varied, k from the kinetic data involving Fe²⁺ was higher than that involving Fe⁰, but no difference was observed in terms of C_e that was always zero. The addition of persulfate to treat the effluent either containing or not containing salt enhanced the chemical kinetics, and shifted the equilibrium toward the full removal of naphthalene. A final set of nine experiments of UV photo degradation of naphthalene by involving persulfate without iron, with Fe⁰ and Fe²⁺ in the pH range from 3 to 7 (3² experiments) mainly showed that the use of H₂O₂ may be avoided to remove rapidly and completely naphthalene from wastewater.