Influence of UV Irradiation Spectra on the Formation of Micropollutant Decomposition By-Products during Heterogeneous Photocatalysis

This paper presents a short overview of the removal rates of selected organic micropollutants and the formation of their intermediates in water solutions during the processes of photolysis and photocaltalysis. Both processes were carried out using four UV lamps with different irradiation spectra. It was proven that the distribution of radiation intensity at given wavelengths had a strong impact on the decomposition of compounds. The most commonly used TQ mercury UV lamp led to the formation of a larger number of intermediates during photochemical processes compared to other UV lamps with the same power of 150 watts. Toxicological analysis indicated the toxic nature of some of the newly formed by-products.