Effects of Aqueous Solutions Composition and Acoustic Intensity on THM Compounds Sonolysis

The objective of this research was to study the removal of the following trihalomethanes: CHCl₃, CHBrCl₂, CHBr₂Cl, CHBr₃, and CHI₃, by ultrasonic irradiation. The effect of the aqueous solution composition, ultrasonic intensity, and power density on the THM compounds sonodegradation rates and efficiencies, as a sole component and as a mixture, were investigated. Batch experiments were conducted at an ultrasonic frequency of 20 kHz. It was found that the presence of inorganic components in the aqueous solution had no significant effect on the sonodegradation of the THMs studied, compared to their sonolysis in deionized water solution. The sonodegradation of CHCl₃, CHBrCl₂, CHBr₂Cl, and CHBr₃ was not affected by the presence of other THM compounds as a mixture in aqueous solution, while the sonolysis of the CHI₃ was enhanced. An increase in the ultrasonic intensity, from 0.9 to 7.0 W/cm², and in the power density, from 0.123 to 0.368 W/mL, resulted in faster reaction rates.