• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.124-130
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• 2013

Of all the brominated flame retardants (BFRs), TBBPA has the largest production volume (50% of the BFRs in current use). It is interest to investigate how they may degrade, because of it can pose an environmental hazard. By using UV-A (${\lambda}=352nm$ ), we have found that the UV-A irradiation increased the photodecomposition reaction rate of TBBPA in an intensity-dependent manner. We also observed 2,6-dibromo-p-benzosemiquinone radical ($a_{2H}=2.36G$, g = 2.0056) generated from TBBPA by reaction with singlet oxygen ($^1O_2$). On the other hand, when an aqueous preparation of HA was irradiated in the presence of TBBPA, the typical spectrum of semiquinone radical was detected by electron spin resonance (ESR). And then, we have found that the photodecomposition rate of TBBPA is decreased in depend on HA concentration. Radical formation and the reactive rate of TBBPA were inhibited by sodium azide used as a singlet oxygen quencher. Therefore we report that a similar $^1O_2$-induced oxidation can be initiate in aqueous solutions of TBBPA dissolved in humic acid (HA) by the UV-A irradiation (${\lambda}=352nm$). From these results, we suggest that the reaction rate of HA with $^1O_2$ is faster than that of TBBPA with $^1O_2$.