Comparison of different advanced oxidation processes for phenol degradation

Advanced Oxidation Processes (O 3, O 3/H 2O 2, UV, UV/O 3, UV/H 2O 2, O 3/UV/H 2O 2, Fe 2+/H 2O 2 and photocatalysis) for degradation of phenol in aqueous solution have been studied in earlier works. In this paper, a comparison of these techniques is undertaken: pH influence, kinetic constants, stoichiometric coefficient and optimum oxidant/pollutant ratio. Of the tested processes, Fenton reagent was found to the fastest one for phenol degradation. However, lower costs were obtained with ozonation. In the ozone combinations, the best results were achieved with single ozonation. As for the UV processes, UV/H 2O 2 showed the highest degradation rate.