Modeling the reaction kinetics of Fenton's process on the removal of atrazine

The degradation of pesticide, atrazine (ATZ), 2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine, by Fenton's reagent (FR) was investigated as a function of reagents' concentrations and ratios in a batch reactor. The degradation of ATZ was effectively achieved by hydroxyl radicals, which were generated in the FR process. The decay rates of ATZ and the oxidation capacities of FR were found to depend on the concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and ferrous ion. The removal kinetics of ATZ are initiated by a rapid decay and then followed by a much slower one. After an extended reaction time (5-10 min), the reactions ceased because the Fe(II) and H(2)O(2) were consumed and would be deactivated in the process. A mathematical model was successfully developed to describe the two-stage reaction kinetics by using two simple but critical parameters: the initial ATZ decay rate and the final oxidation capacity of Fenton's process. In general, higher [Fe(II)] or H(2)O(2) concentrations result in faster initial decay rate and higher oxidation capacity. However, the oxidation capacity is more sensitive to the initial [Fe(II)] due to the presence of side reactions as discussed in the paper.