DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF A PHOTO-FENTON REACTOR WITH IMMOBILIZATION OF FE ON NAFION MEMBRANE; FOR REMOVAL OF PAHs FROM THE SUPPLY WATER

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAHs) presence is detected through
various medium in Malaysia, however there is no regulation on limitation of PAHs
disposition to the water system. Conventional biological treatment are not able to
completely remove the pollutants from the water system. Photo-Fenton chemical
oxidation treatment which utilizes hydroxyl radical are able to degrade recalcitrant
chemicals such as aromatic compounds. A photo-Fenton reactor is designed with
immobilization of Fe on Nafion membrane for PAHs removal from supply water and
performing assessment based on its effectiveness and efficiency. Assessment was done
to obtain the optimum settings including hydrogen peroxide concentrations, UV light,
and retention time. Total Organic Carbon and Chemical Oxygen Demand is taken as
the observance parameter to determine the degradation of PAHs. PAHs presence were
determine using UV-VIS scanning spectrophotometer. TOC degradation is observed
at 94.6% pollution reduction with optimum reaction time of 85 sec and H2O2
concentration of 0.3 mg/L. COD degradation is observed at 87.7% pollution reduction
with optimum treatment time of 70 sec and H2O2 dosage of 0.3 mg/L.