Degradation of chloroaniline in chemical wastewater by ionizing radiation technology: Degradation mechanism and toxicity evaluation

Chloroaniline is a typical organic pollutant in chemical wastewater, which cannot be effectively removed in conventional wastewater treatment processes . In this study, ionizing radiation was used as advanced treatment process to degrade 2-chloroaniline (2-CA). The results showed that 10 mg/l of 2-CA could be completely degraded at 1 kGy. The required dose for completely degrading 2-CA by radiation increased when its initial concentration increased. Solution pH affected 2-CA degradation by changing the radiation-chemical yield of reactive species. Chloride ions (10 and 100 mM) had not obvious influence on 2-CA degradation. Hydrogen radicals, hydrated electrons and hydroxyl radicals , all contributed to the degradation of 2-CA, but with different degradation mechanisms. Hydrogen radicals and hydrated electrons could initiate reductive dechlorination of 2-CA, while hydroxyl radicals can degrade 2-CA by hydroxylation. 6-amino-1,4-cyclohexadiene and chlorobenzene were the main intermediate products of 2-CA degradation in the hydrogen radicals or hydrated electrons dominant process; while o-hydroxyaniline and nitroso-chlorobenzene were the main intermediate products in the hydroxyl radicals dominant process. The solution toxicity after radiation treatment varied with the initial concentration of 2-CA and the absorbed dose. In the actual chemical wastewater, 2-CA can be effectively removed by radiation, even in the presence of high concentration of chloride ions (about 2800 mg/l). The solution toxicity of actual wastewater decreased with the increase of adsorbed dose. This study provided an insight into the 2-CA degradation by radiation, and demonstrated that radiation could be an alternative option for the treatment of chloroaniline-containing chemical wastewater.