Assessment of Bisphenol a Degradation Using Advanced Oxidation Process

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a monomer used in epoxy resin and polycarbonate manufacture. This molecule is considered as an endocrine disruptor that causes different diseases. The human exposure to this non biodegradable substance is increasing over time; in particular, water is contamined by industrial effluent flow. In this investigation, heterogeneous photodegradation of a solution of BPA in aqueous solution using a catalytic photoreactor with UV light and titanium dioxide was evaluated. The analytical method determined the removal of the pollutant is high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The influence of TiO2 and BPA concentration, reaction temperature and catalyst state as suspension and immobilized in acrylic, acetate and glass films, were also evaluated. The maximum elimination of BPA was 83.2 % in 240 minutes, when the initial concentration was 0.05 mM of BPA and 100 ng/L of TiO2 in suspension.