The international campaign to ban bisphenol A (BPA) resulted in increasing application of BPA substitutes. However, very few studies were performed to evaluate kinetics and toxicity of BPA alternatives. In this study, chemical oxidation of BPA and four typical alternatives, i.e., bisphenol AF (BPAF), bisphenol E (BPE), bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS), was investigated in a UV-activated persulfate (UV/PS) system. Through combined laboratory experiments and mathematical modeling, the effects of PS dosage, pH and water matrix constituents (i.e., bicarbonate (HCO3-), chloride (Cl-) and natural organic matter (NOM)) were assessed systematically. Our results showed that the transformation mechanism of different BPs using sulfate radicals-mediated decontamination technology exhibited universal relations and harmonious unities, in which second order-rate constants of sulfate radicals reacting with BPs are the specific probes to mediate the difference on degradation kinetics. Frontier molecular orbital theory and density functional theory suggest BPs molecules pose the same susceptible positions. The intermediate products were identified to elucidate universal transformation pathways of BPs in sulfate radicals-induced oxidation process, and the toxicities of BPs and their byproducts were also assessed. Results from this study provided valuable information to evaluate potential environmental risks of using BPA alternatives.

Generality and diversity on the kinetics, toxicity and DFT studies of sulfate radical-induced transformation of BPA and its analogues

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.