Sonochemical degradation of endocrine disruptor propylparaben in pure water, natural water, and seawater

AbstractIn this work, the sonolytic degradation of an endocrine disrupting chemical, propylparaben (PPB), was carried out at 352 kHz and 80 W. The effects of initial substrate concentration and initial solution pH on the ultrasonic degradation of PPB were examined. Additionally, sonochemical degradation of substrate was investigated in natural water and seawater. The best performances were achieved in the pH range of 3–8, whereas the degradation rate decreased with increasing solution pH from 8 to 10.5. The obtained results showed an interesting effect of real water matrices. At a low concentration of PPB (5 mg/L), an improvement in the degradation process was observed in natural matrices, while at higher concentrations of PPB (25‒100 mg/L), degradation was slightly inhibited, particularly in natural water. At a medium concentration of PPB (10 mg/L), similar degradation rates were observed for all the tested media. The Langmuir-type kinetic models fit well the substrate sonolytic degradation. A perfect re...