Ultraviolet-mediated peroxymonosulfate diminution of earthy and musty compound trichloroanisole in water

Taste and odor (T&O) problem in water is one of the main obstacles to improve the quality of drinking water, and efficient water treatment processes are urgently needed to control T&O compounds. Ultraviolet-mediated peroxymonosulfate (UV/PMS) diminution of trichloroanisole (TCA) in water was investigated in this paper. The treatment of 2,3,6-trichloroanisole (2,3,6-TCA) by three advanced oxidation processes (UV, UV/H 2 O 2 and UV/PMS) was compared, and UV/PMS stood out. SO 4 • − ${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{•-}$ and HO• were produced in the UV/PMS, and their specific contributions to 2,3,6-TCA oxidation were investigated. The competitive kinetic model was applied to determine the second-order reaction rate between 2,3,6-TCA and SO 4 •- or HO•. The products of 2,3,6-TCA generated in UV/PMS were analyzed with gas chromatography/high resolution-mass spectrometry (GC/HR-MS), and the degradation mechanism was proposed. The effects of water matrices (chloride, bicarbonate and humic acid) on UV/PMS performance were studied, and the decontamination of 2,3,6-TCA in real water was carried out. The disinfection byproducts (DBPs) alteration from 2,3,6-TCA by UV/PMS - chlorination treatment was explored. Overall, UV/PMS can effectively deal with the T&O pollution of TCA in water.