Degradation of nitrobenzene in wastewater by γ-ray irradiation

The degradation of nitrobenzene(NB) by γ-ray irradiation was studied. The influences of dose rate and initial NB concentration were investigated in details. At a dose rate of 55 Gy/min, the degradation kinetics was pseudo-first-order at NB concentrations from 0.2 mmol/L to 4.0 mmol/L. At an initial NB concentration of 0.8 mmol/L, the degradation of NB at various dose rates also followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. Dissolved oxygen was found to have a positive effect on NB degradation. The degradation products were identified as nitrophenol,nitrosobenzene, and hydroquinone, and so on. Based on the product analysis, possible degradation pathways of nitrobenzene were proposed.