In this thesis, the photochemical and photocatalytic degradation of atenolol (ATL) and 2-phenylbenzimidazole-5-sulfonic acid (PBSA) have been investigated in aqueous solutions. Our results show that direct photolysis of ATL is weak and the indirect photolysis, e.g., induced by photosensitizers such as nitrate, may contributed to its major loss process in natural sunlit waters. In the case of PBSA, direct photolysis is found to be important while the indirect photolysis may play a less important role in its elimination in natural surface waters. The photolytic reactions (either direct or indirect) generally obey pseudo-first-order kinetics and can be influence by the solution pH, the co-existence of other water constituents such as dissolved organic matter (DOM) and bicarbonate ion (HCO3-). The photolytic degradation lead to a variety of intermediates and products. However, the reduction in TOC of the photolysis is usually found to be insignificant compared to the disappearance of the mother compound. Nevertheless, the observed decrease in toxicity toward fresh water species D. magna in nitrate-induced photodegradation of ATL implies indirect photolysis of ATL is possibly an important way to reduce the toxicity to ecosystem. It should be noted that direct and indirect photodegradation may process through different pathways and mechanism as observed in the photolysis of PBSA in this work. Photocatalytic oxidation of ATL and PBSA were carried out in illuminated aqueous TiO2 suspensions. Photocatalytic reactions normally follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. The kinetics are strongly affected by the photocatalyst type, the photocatalyst dosage, the solution pH value and the substrate concentration. Hydroxyl radical (HO*) was determined to be the major reactive specie responsible for the remarkable degradation of mother compounds. The degradation efficiency is largely influenced by the water matrices as well as the formation and transformation of intermediates. It should be noted that Degussa P25 showed the highest photocatalytic activity for oxidizing ATL and PBSA compared to pure anatase or rutile catalyst such as Hombikat UV 100, Millennium PC 500 and Aldrich rutile, which is in line with previous reports. The photocatalytic degradation of mother compounds results in the formation of various intermediates (e.g., formic, oxalic, malonic acid) and inorganic ions (e.g., NH4+, NO3-, SO42-). TOC decreases much more slowly as compared to the disappearance of the mother compounds, however, complete mineralization could be obtained with longer irradiation time

Dans ce travail, nous avons étudié la dégradation photochimique et photocatalytique de l'aténolol (ATL) et du 2-phénylbenzimidazole-5-sulfonique acide (PBSA) soit dans des solutions aqueuses de qualité milli-Q dopée ou non avec des espèces présentes dans les eaux naturelles (ions bicarbonate, nitrate, substances humiques) soit dans de l'eau naturelle (eau du Rhône). Nos résultats ont montré que la photolyse directe de l'ATL est faible, l'ATL présentant une faible absorbance pour les longueurs d'onde supérieures à 290 nm. C'est donc la photolyse induite par exemple par des photo-sensibilisateurs tels que le nitrate qui peuvent contribuer à son processus de dégradation dans les eaux naturelles ensoleillées. En revanche, dans le cas du PBSA, la photolyse directe a été jugée importante alors que la photolyse indirecte jouerait un rôle moindre dans les eaux de surface naturelles, cette dégradation étant fortement inhibé par la présence des ions hydrogénocarbonates. Dans les deux cas, les réactions de photolyse (directs ou indirects) obéissent généralement à des cinétiques de pseudo-premier ordre et peuvent être influencées par le pH de la solution, la coexistence d'autres constituants de l'eau tels que la matière organique dissoute (MOD) et de l'ion bicarbonate (HCO3-). L'oxydation photocatalytique de l'ATL et du PBSA ont également été étudiés dans des solutions aqueuses de TiO2 en suspension. Nous avons montré que les cinétiques étaient fortement dépendantes du type et de la concentration en photocatalyseur, du pH de la solution et de la concentration en substrat. Dans les deux cas, le radical hydroxyle serait la principale espèce réactive responsable de la dégradation de ces composés. Ici aussi, l'efficacité de la dégradation est largement influencée par les constituants de la matrice de l'eau. Il convient de noter que le TiO2 Degussa P25 a montré l'activité photocatalytique le plus élevée par rapport aux autres catalyseurs de type Hombikat UV 100, le PC 500 de millennium et le rutile d'Aldrich. En ce qui concerne la minéralisation des polluants, les mesures de COTmètre montrent une diminution beaucoup plus lente par rapport à la disparition des composés parents, cependant, la minéralisation complète peut être obtenue avec une plus longue durée d'irradiation / In this thesis, the photochemical and photocatalytic degradation of atenolol (ATL) and 2-phenylbenzimidazole-5-sulfonic acid (PBSA) have been investigated in aqueous solutions. Our results show that direct photolysis of ATL is weak and the indirect photolysis, e.g., induced by photosensitizers such as nitrate, may contributed to its major loss process in natural sunlit waters. In the case of PBSA, direct photolysis is found to be important while the indirect photolysis may play a less important role in its elimination in natural surface waters. The photolytic reactions (either direct or indirect) generally obey pseudo-first-order kinetics and can be influence by the solution pH, the co-existence of other water constituents such as dissolved organic matter (DOM) and bicarbonate ion (HCO3-). The photolytic degradation lead to a variety of intermediates and products. However, the reduction in TOC of the photolysis is usually found to be insignificant compared to the disappearance of the mother compound. Nevertheless, the observed decrease in toxicity toward fresh water species D. magna in nitrate-induced photodegradation of ATL implies indirect photolysis of ATL is possibly an important way to reduce the toxicity to ecosystem. It should be noted that direct and indirect photodegradation may process through different pathways and mechanism as observed in the photolysis of PBSA in this work. Photocatalytic oxidation of ATL and PBSA were carried out in illuminated aqueous TiO2 suspensions. Photocatalytic reactions normally follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. The kinetics are strongly affected by the photocatalyst type, the photocatalyst dosage, the solution pH value and the substrate concentration. Hydroxyl radical (HO•) was determined to be the major reactive specie responsible for the remarkable degradation of mother compounds. The degradation efficiency is largely influenced by the water matrices as well as the formation and transformation of intermediates. It should be noted that Degussa P25 showed the highest photocatalytic activity for oxidizing ATL and PBSA compared to pure anatase or rutile catalyst such as Hombikat UV 100, Millennium PC 500 and Aldrich rutile, which is in line with previous reports. The photocatalytic degradation of mother compounds results in the formation of various intermediates (e.g., formic, oxalic, malonic acid) and inorganic ions (e.g., NH4+, NO3-, SO42-). TOC decreases much more slowly as compared to the disappearance of the mother compounds, however, complete mineralization could be obtained with longer irradiation time