Enhanced degradation of halogenated hydrocarbons in a water-photolysis system

Details are given of experiments on the efficiency of a catalysed water-photolysis system for reduction of trichloroethylene and trihalomethanes. The reactions involved in the photolysis process are discussed. The use of zinc as a catalyst enhanced the rates of degradation; other active metals such as magnesium and aluminium could possibly also be used. In these experiments, a mercury lamp was used as the source of visible light; further studies may be carried out using natural sunlight.