TiO2-induced heterogeneous photodegradation of a fluorotelomer alcohol in air

Degradation of C4F9C2H4OH in air over TiO2 particles was examined in this first report of gas-solid heterogeneous photochemical degradation of fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), which may be precursors of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) in the environment. Photoirradiation (>290 nm) of C4F9C2H4OH in air flowing over TiO2 produced CO2, via C4F9CH2CHO, C4F9CHO, CnF(2n+1)COF (n=2 and/or 3), and COF2, in that order. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the Ti02 surface showed a decrease in the amount of fluorine bonded to carbon and an increase in the amount of F- as the degradation of C4F9C2H4OH in air proceeded. Of the carbon content in the initial C4F9C2H4OH (78.8 ppmv), 90.7% was transformed to CO2, and the predominant fluorine species produced on the TiO2 surface was F-. Fluorotelomer unsaturated acids, which are considered to be toxic and have been observed in the biodegradation of FTOHs, did notform. Increased relative humidity in the air accelerated the decomposition of the reaction intermediates, which led to increased CO2 and F- formation. This result indicates that humidity is a key factor for counteracting FTOHs in indoor air. Although perfluoroalkyl substances such as PFCAs in water reportedly undergo little photodegradation over TiO2, our data show that mineralization of C4F9C2H4OH in air can be achieved with TiO2.