Anatoxin-a degradation by Advanced Oxidation Processes: vacuum-UV at 172 nm, photolysis using medium pressure UV and UV/H(2)O(2).

Two Advanced Oxidation Processes, namely vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) photolysis at 172nm and ultraviolet/hydrogen peroxide (UV/H(2)O(2)) were investigated for the degradation of anatoxin-a in aqueous solutions. Solutions of anatoxin-a-fumarate were treated with VUV light at 172nm with a UV dose of 200 mJ/cm(2), where fumaric acid served as a reference compound for a competition kinetics analysis. The second-order rate constant for the reaction between anatoxin-a and the hydroxyl radical was found to be (5.2+/-0.3)x10(9)M(-1) s(-1) and was independent of pH, temperature, and initial concentration of anatoxin-a. The direct photolysis of anatoxin-a using a medium pressure (MP) UV lamp was also investigated, in which case a UV dose of 1285 mJ/cm(2) was required to degrade anatoxin-a by 88% and 50% at concentrations of 0.6mg/L and 1.8mg/L of toxin, respectively. Treatment of anatoxin-a with a low pressure (LP) UV lamp in the presence of 30mg/L of H(2)O(2) was examined, where it was found that more than 70% of toxin could be degraded at a UV dose of 200 mJ/cm(2). The degradation arises from the oxidation of the toxin by hydroxyl radicals. The addition of H(2)O(2) clearly enhanced the degradation of anatoxin-a, up to a concentration of 40mg/L, after which addition of more H(2)O(2) had little effect on the degradation kinetics of anatoxin-a. The effect of background constituents in the water on the degradation of anatoxin-a was also investigated using natural and synthetically produced model waters.