Reductive dechlorination of tetrachlorobisphenol A by Pd/Fe bimetallic catalysts

Highlights: • TCBPA can be rapidly and completely dechlorinated by Pd/Fe bimetallic catalysts. • The observed rate constants are functions of dosages, initial concentration, Pd coverage and solution pH. • Pd dosage is the major factor in the observed rates of the reaction. • This is the first report investigating the dechlorination of TCBPA by Pd/Fe catalysts. -- Abstract: The Pd/Fe bimetallic catalysts of micron sizes were synthesized and the rates of tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA) degradation were measured under various conditions using a batch reactor system. The results showed that TCBPA was rapidly dechlorinated to tri-, di- and mono-chlorobisphenol A and to bisphenol A (BPA). The observed rate constants (kobs) were found to increase as functions of the Pd coverage on the Fe particles and the dosages of the catalysts within the reactors. The kobs value decreased as the initial TCBPA concentration increased, suggesting that the TCBPA dechlorination may follow a surface-site limiting Langmuir–Hinshelwood rate model. The weakly acidic solution, especially at or near pH 6.0, also favored the dechlorination of TCBPA. At pH 6.0, Pd coverage of 0.044 wt% and catalyst dosage of 5 g L−1, TCBPA with an initial concentration of 20 μM was completely transformed within 60 min, and BPA was detected as the major product through the reaction time. Meanwhile, the kobs values measured at constant solution pH correlated linearly with the mass of particle-bound Pd introduced to the reactors, regardless of Pd/Fe catalyst dosage or Pd surface coverage. This study suggested that Pd/Fe catalysts could be potentially employed to rapidly degrade TCBPA in the contaminated environment