Improper disposal of petroleum and spills from underground storage tanks have created large areas with highly toxic contamination of the soil and groundwater. Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is widely used as a fuel additive because of its advantageous properties of increasing the octane value and reducing carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon exhausts. However, MTBE is categorized as a possible human carcinogen. This research investigated the Modified Photo-Fenton system which is based on the Modified Fenton reaction and UV light irradiation. The Modified Fenton reaction is effective for MTBE degradation near a neutral pH, using the ferric ion complex composed of a ferric ion and environmentally friendly organic chelating agents. This research was intended to treat high concentrations of MTBE; thus, 1,000 mg/L MTBE was chosen. The objectives of this research are to find the optimal reaction conditions and to elucidate the kinetic and mechanism of MTBE degradation by the Modified Photo-Fenton reaction. Based on the results of experiments, citrate was chosen among eight chelating agents as the candidate for the Modified Photo-Fenton reaction because it has a relatively higher final pH and MTBE removal efficiency than the others, and it has a relatively low toxicity and is rapidly biodegradable. MTBE degradation was found to follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. Under the optimum conditions, [$Fe^{3+}$] : [Citrate] = 1 mM: 4 mM, 3% $H_2O_2$, 17.4 kWh/L UV dose, and initial pH 6.0, the 1000 ppm MTBE was degraded by 86.75% within 6 hours and 99.99% within 16 hours. The final pH value was 6.02. The degradation mechanism of MTBE by the Modified Photo-Fenton Reaction included two diverse pathways and tert-butyl formate (TBF) was identified to be the major degradation intermediate. Attributed to the high solubility, stability, and reactivity of the ferric-citrate complexes in the near neutral condition, this Modified Photo-Fenton reaction is a promising treatment process for high concentrations of MTBE under or near a neutral pH.

지하 저장 탱크로부터의 유류 유출로 인하여 전세계적으로 넓은 지역의 토양 및 지하수가 오염되고 있다. Methyl tert-butyl ether(MTBE)는 대기 오염 감소를 위하여 널리 사용되고 있는 유류 첨가제이지만 토양 및 지하수로 유입되어 섭취 되었을 때 발암 가능성이 있는 유독 물질이다. 본 연구는 고도 산화 처리 기법 중 유기 오염물의 분해에 높은 효율을 나타내는 고전적 Fenton reaction의 최대 단점인 강한 산성(pH 2.5-3) 의존성을 극복한 새로운 산화 처리 기법을 개발하여 고농도의 MTBE를 효과적으로 분해 하는 것을 그 목적으로 하여 자연 친화적인 chelating agents를 사용하여 중성 영역에서 Fenton reaction을 가능하게 하는 기법인 Modified Fenton reaction과 Ultra Violet light(UV)를 이용하여 분해효율을 극대화 하는 Photo-assisted Fenton reaction을 응용한 Modified Photo-Fenton reaction system을 개발하여 최적 반응 조건 및 반응 차수, 반응 메커니즘을 밝혀내었다. 낮은 독성과 높은 생분해성을 나타낸 Citrate ion을 chelating agents로 선정하였으며 최적 반응 조건은 [$Fe^{3+}$] : [Citrate] = 1 mM : 4 mM, 3% $H_2O_2$, 17.4 kWh/L UV dose, 초기 pH 6.0이며 이 조건에서 1000 ppm MTBE를 분해한 결과 6시간 후 86.75%, 16시간 후 99.99%의 높은 분해율을 나타냈으며 최종 pH는 6.02로 안정적이었다. 또한 Modified Photo-Fenton reaction을 이용한 MTBE 분해 반응은 유사 1차 반응을 나타내었으며 methoxy group이 ${\cdot}OH$ radical과 주로 반응하여 tert-butyl formate(TBF)가 주요 분해 산물이 되는 분해 경로를 따른 다는 것이 밝혀졌다. 본 연구로 개발된 Modified Photo-Fenton reaction에서 발생되는 산화제인 ${\cdot}OH$ radical의 비선택적 반응성을 고려할 때 본 system은 다른 종류의 유기 오염물 분해에도 효과적일 것으로 판단된다.

Keywords: MTBE;Modified Photo-Fenton reaction;Organic chelating agents;Modified Fenton reaction;Tert-butyl formate (TBF);