Radiation-induced degradation of 2-chlorophenol in mixture of zeolite and water

Kumagai, Yuta   ; Sugawara, Atsushi; Segawa, Yukari; Watanabe, Masayuki   

Nanoscale porous structure of zeolites provides attractive environment for radiation-induced reactions. Efficiency of the reactions potentially improves owing to high yields of reactive radicals inside the pores, which would lead to an application of ionizing radiation for decomposition of organic substances of concern. Hence, this study examined degradation of a chlorinated organic compound, 2-chlorophenol (2-ClPh), as a model compound in aqueous solution by the combined use of gamma irradiation and adsorption by zeolite. Degradation efficiency of 2-ClPh by irradiation was improved when a hydrophobic zeolite was used as adsorbent. On the other hand, a hydrophilic zeolite showed an insignificant effect on the degradation efficiency. The difference between these zeolites is expected to be due to different performances for adsorption of 2-ClPh. The results indicate that degradation of aqueous organics can be promoted by the use of zeolites having high performance for adsorption.