Chlorination of bisphenol A: kinetics and by-products formation

The kinetics of initial chlorination of bisphenol A (BPA) was studied between pH 2 and 11 at room temperature (20 ± 2 °C). pH Profile of the apparent second-order rate constant of the reaction of BPA with chlorine were modeled considering the elementary reactions of HOCl with BPA species and an acid-catalyzed reaction. The predominant reactions at near neutral pH were the reactions of HOCl with the two phenolate species of BPA (k=3.10×104 M−1 s−1 for BPA− and 6.62 × 104 M−1 s−1 for BPA2−). At near neutral pH, half-life times of BPA were calculated to be less than 1.5 h for chlorine residual higher than 0.2 mg l−1. Chlorination of synthetic treated waters spiked with BPA showed that BPA disappeared within 4 h and that chlorinated bisphenol A congeners were rapidly formed and remained in solution for up to 10–20 h when low chlorine dosages are applied (0.5–1 mg l−1). To limit their presence in drinking water networks, it is then necessary to maintain high chlorine residuals that rapidly produce and decompose chlorinated bisphenol A congeners.