Transformation of bisphenol A by manganese oxide-coated sand

Oxidative transformation of organic contaminants by manganese oxides was commonly investigated with pure MnO(2) suspension, which deviates from the fact that natural manganese oxides are seldom present as a pure form in the natural environment. In this study, we prepared manganese oxide-coated sand (MOCS) and evaluated its oxidative capacity using bisphenol A (BPA) as the model compound. BPA was transformed by MOCS and the reaction followed an exponential decay model. The reaction was pH dependent and followed the order of pH 4.5>pH 5.5>pH 6.5>pH 7.5>pH 8.6>pH 9.6, indicating that acidic conditions facilitated BPA transformation while basic conditions disfavored the reaction. Coexisting metal ions exhibited inhibitory effects and followed the order of Fe(3+) > Zn(2+) > Cu(2+) > Ca(2+) > Mg(2+) > Na(+). Transformation of BPA by MOCS was much slower than that by pure MnO(2) suspension. However, similar transformation products were identified in both studies, suggesting the same reaction pathways. This work suggests that the reactivity of MnO(2) in the environment might be overestimated if extrapolating the result from the pure MnO(2) suspension because natural MnO(2) is mainly present as coating on the surface of soils and sediments.