Jesús Beltrán de Heredia

Kinetic model for phenolic compound oxidation by Fenton's reagent.

A kinetic model is developed for the oxidation of phenolic compounds by Fentons reagent. In the first stage a rigorous kinetic model is applied to calculate the different kinetic rate constants for the oxidation process of p-hydroxybenzoic acid. In a second phase a competitive method is applied to calculate these kinetic constants for another 10 phenolic compounds present in agroindustrial and pulp paper wastewaters. These 10 phenolic compounds were: beta-resorcylic acid, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionic acid, ferulic acid, protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, veratric acid and 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid.

Oxidation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid by UV radiation and by TiO2/UV radiation: comparison and modelling of reaction kinetic

The phenolic compound p-hydroxybenzoic acid is very common in a great variety of agroindustrial wastewaters (olive oil and table olive industries, distilleries). The objective of this work was to study the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 towards the decomposition of p-hydroxybenzoic acid. In order to demonstrate the greater oxidizing power of the photocatalytic system and to quantify the additional levels of degradation attained, we performed experiments on the oxidation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid by UV radiation alone and by the TiO2/UV radiation combination. A kinetic model is applied for the photooxidation by UV radiation and by the TiO(2)/UV system. Experimental results indicated that the kinetics for both oxidation processes can be fitted well by a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The second oxidation process can be explained in terms of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model. The values of the adsorption equilibrium constant, K(pHB), and the second order kinetic rate constant, k(c), were 0.37 ppm(-1) and 6.99 ppm min(-1), respectively. Finally, a comparison between the kinetic rate constants for two oxidation systems reveals that the constants for the TiO2/UV system are clearly greater (between 220-435%) than those obtained in the direct UV photooxidation.

On the use of carbon blacks as potential low-cost adsorbents for the removal of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from river water

The adsorption of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), namely naproxen and ketoprofen, has been studied. Low-cost carbonaceous materials such as carbon blacks have been used as the adsorbents. The influence of temperature (20-60 degrees C), pH (3-11), ionic strength (0.01-0.1M), textural properties of the adsorbents (S(BET) and pore volumes) and aqueous matrix on the adsorption process has been analyzed. The adsorption isotherms have been determined both in milli-Q aqueous solution and water from the Guadiana river. Ionic strength and pH exert a noticeable influence on the process. In general, the removal is favored at low values of temperature and pH. On the contrary, an increase of the ionic strength seems to favor the adsorption process. The use of more porous adsorbents results in a more effective removal of the pollutants. Finally, the use of natural river water results in a noticeable increase of the removal capacity of naproxen and, particularly, ketoprofen. The experimental results proved that, under the optimal operation conditions, up to 517mg/g of naproxen and 400mg/g of ketoprofen may be adsorbed, which demonstrates the promising potential of these adsorbents for the removal of the pharmaceuticals under study.

Removal of chlorophenols in aqueous solution by carbon black low-cost adsorbents. Equilibrium study and influence of operation conditions

The adsorption process of chlorophenols (CPs) by low-cost adsorbents such as carbon blacks has been studied. The influence of different parameters such as temperature, pH, ionic strength and textural properties of the adsorbents on the adsorption process of pentachlorophenol has been analyzed. The adsorption process is exothermal and parameters such as pH and ionic strength exert a noticeable influence on the adsorption capacity of the solute. These parameters influence the adsorption capacity in an opposite manner. Thus an increase in pH seems to unfavor the adsorption process, whereas the adsorption capacity increases with increasing ionic strength. In order to analyze the influence of the number of chlorine atoms in the molecule of solute the adsorption process of different chlorophenols (i.e., 4-chlorophenol, 3,5-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol) was analyzed. As the number of chlorine atoms (and thus the volume of the molecule) increases, the penetration of the solute through the porous texture of the adsorbent is difficult and, consequently, the adsorption capacity decreases.