This study reports on the photodegradation of biodiesel in contact with water using the photo-Fenton reaction. After 360 h of photodegradation, we observed a reduction of 73% in the amount of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) initially quantified by gas chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector (GC/FID). During the photodegradation, peaks for ketones and epoxy groups in carbon chains were recorded by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and typical aldehyde and short-chain fatty acid shifts in hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR) were observed. Ecotoxicity assays with Artemia salina revealed the presence of toxic components in the aqueous phase in increasing amounts up to 168 h of photodegradation and decreasing thereafter.
photodegradation; Fenton reactions; biodiesel; bioassay; advanced oxidation processes
