The natural degradation of benzophenone at low concentration in aquatic environments.

The natural degradation caused by sun irradiation and microbes in aquatic environments is of major significance in the elimination process of benzophenone (BP). In this study, the fate of BP in surface water at a low concentration of 10 μg/L was investigated, including both photodegradation and microbial degradation. The result showed that the photodegradation rate of BP was affected by several parameters such as the initial concentration, continuous input, and the presence of the analogue, ions and small molecules. Meanwhile, the rate of microbial degradation of BP was mainly influenced by the kind and amount of microbes in the environmental water.