Abstract:
Urbanization of many cities with industrial,
commercial, and residential areas in the world takes place at
an unprecedented scale. Di (2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) is
a commonly used plasticizer in number of industries and
becomes a precursor to cause DEHP contamination of
watercourses through untreated or partially treated industrial
wastewater effluents. Such contamination by DEHP may result
in bioaccumulation and bio-concentration in biota so that it
will adversely affect humans through food chain. Titanium
dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were experimented to remove
DEHP through photocatalysis. The photocatalysis with TiO2
for the destruction of DEHP was found to be a promising
technique in removing DEHP from industrial wastewaters. The
most economical dosage of TiO2 would be one gram and it
needs to be photocatalysed for a period of approximately 45
minutes for complying with the permissible level stipulated for
DEHP (16 μg/L) for the protection of aquatic life. The cost of
the photocatalysis with TiO2 was around Rs. 120 and the cost
could be further reduced when the material (TiO2) is
regenerated for subsequent usage. TiO2 was regenerated for
three times with inherent properties for photocatalysis being
not changed. This technique could be successfully applied to
lessen the DEHP levels in the urban watercourses of Sri Lanka.
