Degradation of Tetrabromobisphenol A with Surfactant-Enhanced PAC-Pd/Fe Nanoparticles

Pd/Fe nanoparticles are considered effective agents for the degradation of halogenated organic compounds (HOCs). However, the high hydrophobicity of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) hinders its degradation owing to the inefficient contacts of TBBPA and Pd/Fe nanoparticles. To promote the degradation of TBBPA, the effects of different surfactants on TBBPA degradation with PAC-Pd/Fe nanoparticles were investigated. The results show that the anionic surfactant SDS had the best promoting effect on TBBPA degradation and the rate of reaction increased by 1.7-2.5 times. The nonionic surfactant TX-100 had little enhancement in TBBPA degradation. It even exerted an inhibitive effect as its concentration went above the critical micelle concentration. The cationic surfactant CTAB displayed the most inhibitive effect on TBBPA degradation, and the inhibition was stronger as the surfactant concentration increased. The degradation of TBBPA with PAC-Pd/Fe nanoparticles was a consecutive debromination reaction. The corresponding degradation rate constants of parent TBBPA and its intermediates tri-BBPA, di-BBPA and mono-BBPA were 0.466 2, 0.435 6, 0.338 0 and 0.271 1 min^-1, respectively, which were proportional to the amount of bromide atoms on benzene rings.