Degradation
of sulfapyridine as a representative sulfonamide by
the UV/chlorine process was investigated. Kinetic experiments revealed
that aniline and sulfonamide moieties were sulfapyridine’s
main reaction sites with •OH, and the aniline moiety
was the preferable site for Cl• attack. Effects
of four influence factors (pH; humic acid, HA; HCO3
–; Cl–) on the degradation kinetics
were explored by response surface methodology, and it was found that
pH and HA have the highest level influence (81%) among all influence
variables (linear, quadratic, and interactive terms), and low pH and
concentrations of HA were beneficial for degradation. Approximately
70% of sulfapyridine degradation was observed within 60 min in the
UV/chlorine system (pH = 5) without HA. A kinetic model considering
steady-state concentrations of reactive radicals and their second-order
rate constants is suitable for predicting sulfapyridine degradation,
elucidating that •OH and Cl• are
major radicals for sulfapyridine degradation in freshwater, and •OH and Cl2
•– are
responsible for the degradation in coastal seawater.
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