Oxidation of Tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate in aqueous solution by UV-activated peroxymonosulfate: Kinetics, water matrix effects, degradation products and reaction pathways.

The feasibility of UV-activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) technology for the degradation of Tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) in an aqueous solution was investigated in this study. The conditions of [PMS]0: [TCEP]0 = 20:1, T = 25 ± 2 °C and pH = 5.5 ± 0.5 cause a 94.6% removal of TCEP (1 mg L-1) after 30 min of Hg lamp irradiation. The effects of operating parameters (the oxidant doses, pH and presence of typical cations (Fe3+, Cu2+, Ni2+, NH4+), anions (Cl-, HCO3-, NO3-, HPO42-) and humic acid (HA)) were evaluated. It was found that an increase of the PMS dose and the presence of Fe3+ could accelerate the reaction, while the anions and HA inhibited the reaction. Meanwhile, TCEP removal in various water matrices was compared, and the order for TCEP removal was as follows: ultrapure water > tap water > synthetic water > secondary clarifier effluent > Jiuxiang river water. Twenty-two oxidation products were identified using an electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometer, and the degradation pathways mainly involved radicals' addition and CO bond cleavage. Furthermore, ECOSAR analysis revealed that the intermediate products during the TCEP oxidation process were generally not harmful to three typical aquatic species. Hence, UV/PMS can be used as an efficient technology to treat TCEP-containing water and wastewaters.