Gamma radiation treatment of pentachlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2-chlorophenol in water

The aim of this work was to investigate γ-irradiation treatment of pentachlorophenol (PCP), 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) and 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) in water. The dechlorination of PCP, DCP and 2-CP has been studied by using γ-radiation as well as ozonization. G(Cl-) is always much higher than the corresponding G(-PCP), this means that some primary radiolytic products are unstable during post-irradiation. The COD (Mn) values of irradiated PCP were determined. PCP is much more easily decomposed by irradiation than either DCP or o-CP. Some stable radiolytic intermediates were detected. Preliminary analysis revealed that some chloroquinones were among the final products. Where ozone was used, the results suggest that it enhanced the efficiency of radiation-induced decomposition