During an oil spill, a large amount of aromatic compounds are released into the environment. Although aromatic compounds are stable, they will react with hydroxyl radicals, which are abundant oxidative species in the atmosphere. In order to assess the environmental degradation of aromatic compounds after an oil spill, benzene serves as a model aromatic compound due to its basic representative structure and as its oxidative products, phenol and biphenyl, are straightforward to follow. The oxidation pathway of benzene to phenol has been studied extensively, but less consideration has been given to the alternative pathway of benzene to biphenyl. In this work, the photo-oxidation (UVB-light) of benzene in the presence of hydrogen peroxide as a hydroxyl radical source is monitored in a bulk phase reactor. Salinity, pH, and temperature are varied in order to represent environmental conditions occurring in seawater and to pinpoint their effect on biphenyl formation.

Photo-degradation of benzene with hydroxyl radicals in maritime environments

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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