TiO2-mediated photocatalytic debromination of decabromodiphenyl ether: kinetics and intermediates.

In this work, we report the rapid photoreductive debromination of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209) byTiO2. The degradation of BDE209 is a stepwise process, and the bromines at the ortho positions are much more susceptible than those at the para positions. The photocatalytic degradation kinetics of BDE209 was further investigated under different reaction conditions (various solvents, in the presence of H2O, acids, or bases). A possible photoreductive debromination pathway was proposed on the basis of the identified reaction intermediates and density functional theory (DFT). This study provides a potential application of photocatalysis in removal of PBDE contamination.