Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mainly produced via fossil fuel deposit and incomplete combustion, have been ubiquitously found in natural phases such as water, soil, and sediment. In recent years, PAHs have attracted great attention due to their persistence to natural degradation and potential damaging to human health and ecosystem. The photolysis of PAHs is a potentially important process for its stability and fate in the soil environment.
A research group headed by Prof. WANG Chuanyi at Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics & Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (XTIPC) found the photochemistry process of PAHs on cation-modified clays under visible light. Among various cation-modified clay minerals, Fe(III)-saturated smectite clay exhibits greatest activity to catalytic photodegradation of phenanthrene. This result indicates the great importance of photochemistry of phenanthrene in the soil environment and provides valuable insights on the fates of phenanthrene in the natural soil environment. The present study also opens up a window of using natural catalysts for the treatment of industrial contaminants.
The results have been published in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2012,123-124: 43-51.
The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the “One Hundred Talents” program of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the “Western Light” program of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Photodegradation of phenanthrene on cations-modified clays under visible light(Image by JIA Hanzhong)
