Oxidative Degradation of Strong Acetic Acid Liquor in Wastewater Emanating from Hazardous Industries

Abstract

Degradation of moderately concentrated acetic acid in wastewater is difficult due to its refractory characteristics, and consequently very few study reports are available for this. In this work, the efficacy of a few advanced oxidation techniques, involving various combinations of UV radiation, H2O2, and Fe2+, to degrade acetic acid, up to 4 M concentration, have been explored. The process parameters studied were the concentrations of acetic acid and H2O2 and the intensity of the UV radiation. The reactions were found to be highly exothermic. The rate followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic model in the case of Fenton and photo-Fenton reactions, whereas a zero-order model for UV/H2O2 photolysis. Limiting values of H2O2 and Fe2+ have been determined.