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Virginia Tech

The Chlorination of Triclosan: A Kinetic Study

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Triclosan, 5-chloro-2-(2,4 dichlorophenoxy)phenol, is an anti-microbial additive in a plethora of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) including, toothpastes, hand creams and soaps, and acne creams. Because many triclosan containing products are topical solutions that are readily washed down the drain, significant quantities of triclosan can be introduced to wastewater treatment systems and eventually, to surface waters. Consequently, triclosan has become a contaminant of concern. The reactions between triclosan and free chlorine have been examined previously; however, no kinetic data for these reactions have been reported for conditions typical of drinking water treatment. This investigation focused specifically on the kinetics of the triclosan and free available chlorine (FAC) reactions under drinking water treatment conditions. Triclosan readily reacted with free chlorine via a second-order reaction (first order with respect to each species). No significant temperature dependency was observed from 8 to 25 °C. The reaction stoichiometry was determined to be 1:1 (triclosan oxidized per free chlorine reduced and did not vary over the pH range examined (pH 4-12). However, the reaction rate coefficients exhibited a significant pH dependency. A model that incorporates the rate coefficients for the reactions between HOCl and both neutral and anionic forms of triclosan was generated to fit the experimental data. The anionic free chlorine species hypochlorite (OCl-) was determined to play an insignificant role in the overall rate of reaction, and therefore, only the reactions involving HOCl were incorporated into the model. Additionally, a hypothesized reaction mechanism was tentatively shown to fit the collected data and its strong pH dependency.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2003

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Ebbett, Virginia Rose
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Vikesland, Peter J.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Love, Nancy G.
  • Edwards, Marc A.

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-07032003-084832
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/43524

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Ebbett, Virginia Rose. The Chlorination of Triclosan: A Kinetic Study. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/43524