Abstract: Acetic acid is the most important component of furfural wastewater, which was degraded by UV/O₃ method. Effects of pH value, light intensity and negative and positive ions on the reaction were investigated. The results show the optimal conditions of the photodegradation reaction of 500 mL of 8 mmol/L acetic acid were pH=2.2, the temperature was (35±2) ℃ and the supply of O₃ was 0.1 mg/L under 400 W ultraviolet radiation. Under those conditions, the disposal rates of acetic acid and TOC reached 86% and 74% within 300 min. The degradation course obeys the zero order kinetic equation.

Key words: UV/O₃, acetic acid, furfural wastewater, photodegradation