Photodegradation of Dechlorane Plus in n-nonane under the irradiation of xenon lamp

Highlights: • Photodegradation of isomers of Dechlorane Plus (DP) as a potential persistent organic pollutant were studied. • UV-C was found to be the main contributor to DP photodegradation. • DP degradation followed the pseudo first-order kinetics. • Sequential dechlorination was found as the degradation mechanism. -- Abstract: Photodegradation has been regarded as the main mechanism for the removal of many halogenated organic pollutants in the environment. The photodegradation of Dechlorane Plus (DP), an emerging contaminant taken worldwide concerns in recent years, was investigated under the irradiation of a xenon lamp. Rapid photodegradation was found under the irradiation of 200–750 nm light, while the degradation became much slower when the range of light wavelength changed to 280–750 nm. DP degradation followed the pseudo first-order kinetics. The quantum yields of 200–280 nm (UV-C) were about 2–3 orders of magnitude higher than 280–320 nm, and no yields can be detected in 320–750 nm range, in an agreement with the changing photodegradation rates with wavelength. The photodegradation products were identified as lower chlorinated DPs, implicating a mechanism of reductive dechlorination. No photoisomerization or solvent adducts were observed, and the difference of photodegradation rate between syn- and anti-DP isomers was negligible