Petroleum films exposed to sunlight produce hydroxyl radical

Sunlight exposed oil films on seawater or pure water produced substantial amounts of hydroxyl radical as a result of irradiation. Oil was collected from the surface of the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon spill and exposed to simulated sunlight in thin films over water. Photochemical production of hydroxyl radical was measured with benzoic acid as a selective chemical probe in the aqueous layer. Total hydroxyl radical formation was studied using high benzoic acid concentrations and varying exposure time. The total amount of hydroxyl radical produced in 24 h irradiations of thin oil films over Gulf of Mexico water and pure water were 3.7×10(-7) and 4.2×10(-7) moles respectively. Steady state concentrations of hydroxyl radical were measured using a competition kinetics approach. Hydroxyl radical concentrations of 1.2×10(-16) to 2.4×10(-16) M were observed for seawater and pure water under oil films. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanomaterials were added to the system in an effort to determine if the photocatalyst would enhance oil photodegradation. The addition of TiO2 nanoparticles dramatically changed the observed formation rate of hydroxyl radical in the systems with NP water at pH 3, showing increased formation rate in many cases. With photocatalyst, the steady state concentration of radical decreased, predominantly due to an increase in the hydroxyl radical scavenging rate with oxide present. This study illustrates that oil is a strong and important source of hydroxyl radical when exposed to sunlight. The fate of oil and other dissolved species following oil spills will be heavily dependent on the formation and fate of hydroxyl radical.