Assessment of the generation of chlorinated byproducts upon Fenton-like oxidation of chlorophenols at different conditions

► The possibility of working under substoichiometric conditions is seriously limited. ► PCB's, dioxins and diphenyl ethers were formed. ► A carbonaceous solid residue containing Cl and Fe was formed. ► An increase of ecotoxicity was observed. Homogeneous Fenton-like (H 2O 2/Fe 3+) oxidation proved to be highly efficient in the degradation of monochlorophenols but some important issues need to be considered depending on the operating conditions. When using the stoichiometric amount of H 2O 2 and a dose of Fe 3+ in the range of 10–20 mg/L, complete breakdown of 4-CP up to CO 2 and short-chain acids was achieved. Nevertheless, when substoichiometric amounts of H 2O 2 or lower concentrations of iron were used, significant differences between the TOC measured and the calculated from the identified species were found. These differences were attributed to condensation byproducts, including chlorinated species, formed by oxidative coupling reactions. PCBs, dioxins and dichlorodiphenyl ethers were identified. A solid residue was also formed consisting mainly in carbon, oxygen and chlorine including also Fe. The occurrence of these highly toxic species must be carefully considered in the application of Fenton oxidation to wastewaters containing chlorophenols. The possibility of reducing costs by lowering the H 2O 2 dose below the stoichiometric one needs to tke this into account.