Removal of Paracetamol Using Effective Advanced Oxidation Processes

Francesca Audino, Jorge Mario Toro Santamaria, Luis J. del Valle Mendoza, Moisès Graells and Montserrat Pérez-Moya
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Francesca Audino: Center for Process and Environmental Engineering CEPIMA, Chemical Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Escola d’Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE), Av. Eduard Maristany, 16, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
Jorge Mario Toro Santamaria: Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology, Fraunhofer, Nobelstrasse 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Luis J. del Valle Mendoza: Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Escola d’Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE), Av. Eduard Maristany, 16, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
Moisès Graells: Center for Process and Environmental Engineering CEPIMA, Chemical Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Escola d’Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE), Av. Eduard Maristany, 16, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
Montserrat Pérez-Moya: Center for Process and Environmental Engineering CEPIMA, Chemical Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Escola d’Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE), Av. Eduard Maristany, 16, 08019 Barcelona, Spain

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Fenton, photo-Fenton, and photo-induced oxidation, were investigated and compared for the treatment of 0.26 mmol L −1 of paracetamol (PCT) in a deionised water matrix, during a reaction span of 120.0 min. Low and high Fenton reagent loads were studied. Particularly, the initial concentration of Fe 2+ was varied between 0.09 and 0.18 mmol L −1 while the initial concentration of H 2 O 2 was varied between 2.78 and 11.12 mmol L −1 . The quantitative performance of these treatments was evaluated by: (i) measuring PCT concentration; (ii) measuring and modelling TOC conversion, as a means characterizing sample mineralization; and (iii) measuring cytotoxicity to assess the safe application of each treatment. In all cases, organic matter mineralization was always partial, but PCT concentration fell below the detection limit within 2.5 and 20.0 min. The adopted semi-empirical model revealed that photo induced oxidation is the only treatment attaining total organic matter mineralization ( ξ MAX = 100% in 200.0 min) at the expense of the lowest kinetic constant (k = 0.007 min −1 ). Conversely, photo-Fenton treatment using high Fenton reagent loads gave a compromise solution ( ξ MAX = 73% and k = 0.032 min −1 ). Finally, cytotoxicity assays proved the safe application of photo-induced oxidation and of photo-Fenton treatments using high concentrations of Fenton reagents.

Keywords: photo-induced oxidation; Fenton; photo-Fenton; hydrogen peroxide dosage; kinetic model; cytotoxicity; paracetamol; by-products (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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