SOLAR PHOTODECOMPOSITION FOR REMOVING BTEX (BENZENE, TOLUENE, ETILBENZENO E XILENO) COMPOUNDS FROM GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATED BY GASOLINE STATION ACTIVITIES

Código

XXVI-SBRH0396

Autores

Priscila Moreira Peres Garcia, Marcelly Beatriz Navarrette, Nilce Ortiz

Tema

J - Qualidade da Água em Sistemas Ambientais

Resumo

This study investigates the application of solar photodecomposition to remove BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) from groundwater contaminated by activities gasoline stations. By the end of 2024, Brazil had 44,67 fuel stations authorized by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), occupying the 9th position in the ranking of the largest oil consumers. Due to their high toxicity and carcinogenicity, BTEX compounds pose serious risks to both the environment and public health. The photodecomposition process uses TiO2 as a catalyst, resulting in hydroxyl radical by many reactions. The primary goal of this research was to develop effective and sustainable technology for treating and removing BTEX from groundwater contaminated using solar photodecomposition. The synthesis of Microstructured Titanium dioxide (TiO2) was synthesized with diatomite to develop heterogeneous photocatalysis for BTEX degradation to achieve this objective. The TiO2-Diatomite composite characterization used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis. SEM provided detailed insights into the material?s microstructure and morphology, while TGA assessed the thermal stability of the photocatalyst in BTEX degradation processes. BTEX concentration measurements used a UV-visible spectrophotometer for benzene determination, with aliquots collected at 30-minute intervals. The methodology used involved the synthesis of TiO2-Diatomite from the hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide with diatomite, where the characterization of this material was tests conducted with 9.0 g of TiO2-Dt and 40% BTEX solutions evaluated the removal efficiency across varying catalyst masses (0.8 g to 2.5 g). The highest BTEX removal efficiency, 79.0%, was achieved with 1.0 g of TiO2-Dt.