TY - JOUR
T1 - Removal of Persistent Acid Pharmaceuticals by a Biological-Photocatalytic Sequential Process
T2 - Clofibric Acid, Diclofenac, and Indomethacin
AU - Cruz-Carrillo, María J.
AU - Melgoza-Alemán, Rosa M.
AU - Cuevas-Arteaga, Cecilia
AU - Proal-Nájera, José B.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/11
Y1 - 2022/11
N2 - The removal of three acid pharmaceuticals—clofibric acid (CLA), diclofenac (DCL), and indomethacin (IND)—by a biological-photocatalytic sequential system was studied. These pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) are considered to persist in the environment and have been found in water and sewage, producing adverse effects on the aquatic environment. For the biological process, in batch experiments, a fixed bed bioreactor and activated sludge (hybrid bioreactor), under aerobic conditions, was used as pretreatment. The pretreated effluent was exposed to a photocatalytic process employing TiO2 nanotubular films (NTF-TiO2) with the following characteristics: an internal diameter of 112 nm, a wall thickness of 26 nm, nanotube length of 15 µm, a roughness factor of 1840 points, and an anatase-rutile crystalline structure. In the hybrid bioreactor, 39% IND and 50% ACL and DCL were removed. The biological-photocatalysis sequential system achieved the degradation of up to 90% of the initial concentrations of the three acid pharmaceuticals studied. This approach appears to be a viable alternative for the treatment of these non-biodegradable effluents.
AB - The removal of three acid pharmaceuticals—clofibric acid (CLA), diclofenac (DCL), and indomethacin (IND)—by a biological-photocatalytic sequential system was studied. These pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) are considered to persist in the environment and have been found in water and sewage, producing adverse effects on the aquatic environment. For the biological process, in batch experiments, a fixed bed bioreactor and activated sludge (hybrid bioreactor), under aerobic conditions, was used as pretreatment. The pretreated effluent was exposed to a photocatalytic process employing TiO2 nanotubular films (NTF-TiO2) with the following characteristics: an internal diameter of 112 nm, a wall thickness of 26 nm, nanotube length of 15 µm, a roughness factor of 1840 points, and an anatase-rutile crystalline structure. In the hybrid bioreactor, 39% IND and 50% ACL and DCL were removed. The biological-photocatalysis sequential system achieved the degradation of up to 90% of the initial concentrations of the three acid pharmaceuticals studied. This approach appears to be a viable alternative for the treatment of these non-biodegradable effluents.
KW - NTF-TiO
KW - biological-photocatalytic processes
KW - fixed bed bioreactor
KW - persistent acid pharmaceuticals
KW - sequential system
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85149457208&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/catal12111488
DO - 10.3390/catal12111488
M3 - Artículo
AN - SCOPUS:85149457208
SN - 2073-4344
VL - 12
JO - Catalysts
JF - Catalysts
IS - 11
M1 - 1488
ER -