Optimized photodegradation of Bisphenol A in water using ZnO, TiO₂ and SnO₂ photocatalysts under UV radiation as a decontamination procedure

Abstract. Experiments on photodegradation of Bisphenol A (BPA) were carried out in water samples by means photocatalytic and photo-oxidation methods in the presence of ZnO, TiO₂ and SnO₂ catalysts. The objective of this study was to develop an improved technique that can be used as a remediation procedure for a BPA-contaminated surface water and groundwater based on the UV solar radiation. The photodegradation of BPA in water performed under a low-intensity UV source mimics the UVC and UVA spectrum of solar radiation between 254 and 365 nm. The archived results reveal higher degradation rates observed in the presence of ZnO than with TiO₂ and SnO₂ catalysts during 20 h of irradiation. The intervention of the advanced photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) reduces the time of degradation to less than 1 h to reach a degradation rate of 90 % for BPA in water. The study proposes the use of ZnO as a competitor catalyst to the traditional TiO₂, providing the most effective treatment of contaminated water with phenolic products.