UV¯H2O2 oxidation of monoazo dyes in aqueous media: a kinetic study

During the past few years attention has been drawn on chemical techniques that could be used to discolour textile wastewaters. We have studied the photooxidation of several aqueous monoazodyes solutions in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Irradiation was carried out with a low-pressure mercury lamp. We observed that the reaction is pseudo-first-order with respect to the dye concentration. The effects of hydrogen peroxide and dye dosages, temperature, pH, and chemical structure of the organic matter were also investigated. Results suggest that molecules, hydrazone form of which predominates, are the most sensitive to °OH oxidation. If a labile hydrogen atom is present in the chromophore, it is the primary target of the attack.