Kinetics and degradation efficiency of benzotriazole in water by ozonation

Benzotriazole (BTri) is widely used in industrial processes and households as anti-icer and corrosion inhibitors. However, the removal of BTri hasn't been reported yet. The results of an experimental study are presented which provide values for the reaction rate constants between molecular ozone and BTri, and overall reaction rate constants for the degradation of BTri in the pH range of 7-8. The kinetic rate constant for BTri degradation by molecular ozone was calculated to be 20.18 L·(mol·s)^-1 according to the experimental data. The study showed that the reaction between ozone and BTri was influenced by some factors. The degradation rate of BTri increased with the increase of the solution pH value and the water temperature, but changed little in the presence of some anions, such as NO₃^-, SO₄^2- and Cl^-. The hydroxyl radical inhibitor tert-Butyl alcohol affected the removal of BTri to some degree, which proved that the ozone molecule was cooperated with the hydroxyl radical to remove BTri in the oxidation process.