The homogeneous degradation of benzene (B), toluene (T), ethylbenzene (E) and p-xylene
(X) (BTEX) was studied in aqueous solutions, at pH 3.0, of hydrogen peroxide (5.8mM) under UV
irradiation in a photoreactor equipped with a 300nm lamp of light intensity 3.5 × 10−5 Ein L−1 min−1. BTEX
was substantially degraded by the H2O2/UV system, with >90% disappearing in 10min of irradiation.
The decomposition of BTEX was studied either as single or as multi-component systems. The effects
of irradiation time, amounts of H2O2 in molar ratios, rate of degradation and competition between
components were thoroughly examined. It can be stated that the rate of BTEX degradation in mixture was
higher than those for the individual components due to external effects of the absorption of UV light by the
mixture, and their effects on enhancing the formation of OH• radicals. The appropriate figure of merit,
the electrical energy per mass (EE/M), was estimated at various molar ratios and it was confirmed that
the best value was the one depicted for p-xylene (0.065kWhkg−1). A theoretical model for the degradation
pathway was proposed.