Sulfamethoxazole (SMZ), sulfathiazole (STZ) and sulfamethazine (SMT) are typical sulfonamides, which are widespread in aqueous environments and have aroused great concern in recent years. In this study, the photochemical oxidation of SMZ, STZ and SMT in their mixed solution using UV/H2O2 process was innovatively investigated. The result showed that the sulfonamides could be completely decomposed in the UV/H2O2 system, and each contaminant in the co-existence system fitted the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The removal of sulfonamides was influenced by the initial concentration of the mixed solution, the intensity of UV light irradiation, the dosage of H2O2 and the initial pH of the solution. The increase of UV light intensity and H2O2 dosage substantially enhanced the decomposition efficiency, while a higher initial concentration of mixed solution heavily suppressed the decomposition rate. The decomposition of SMZ and SMT during the UV/H2O2 process was favorable under neutral and acidic conditions. Moreover, the generated intermediates of SMZ, STZ and SMT during the UV/H2O2 process were identified in depth, and a corresponding degradation pathway was proposed.
Keywords: UV/H2O2 oxidation; advanced oxidation process; mixed solution; photodegradation; sulfonamides.