Degradation of bisphenol A in aqueous environment using peroxymonosulfate activated with carbonate: Performance, possible pathway, and mechanism

In the current study, bisphenol A (BPA) removal in water environment by carbonate-activated peroxymonosulfate (CO 3 2- /PMS) oxidation process is reported for the first time. The CO 3 2- /PMS system showed excellent catalytic activity by degrading 100% BPA within 40 min reaction time. BPA degradation showed pseudo-first-order kinetics with rate constant ( k ) value of 0.0918 min −1 . The effects of initial concentration of CO 3 2- , PMS, BPA, pH, and inorganic anions, including nitrate (NO 3 - ), sulfate (SO 4 2- ), chloride (Cl - ), phosphate (PO 4 - ), and humic acid (HA) were studied. The addition of NO 3 - , SO 4 2- , and PO 4 - in the CO 3 2- /PMS system decreased BPA degradation %, whereas a high concentration of Cl − and HA addition promoted BPA degradation %. Electron paramagnetic resonance and radical scavenging experiments verified that both the SO 4 •– and HO • were generated in the CO 3 2- /PMS system. According to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry results, the possible degradation pathways for BPA were suggested. Toxicity experiments revealed that BPA metabolites were not toxic. It could be concluded that the CO 3 2- /PMS system is a promising process for removing BPA in different types of water (ultrapure, lake, and wastewater)