Removal of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by electrocoagulation–flotation with a cationic surfactant

[Display omitted] •The addition of CTAB can enhance the removal of NSAIDs by ECF process.•The optimum dose of CTAB is equal to the sum of the molar concentration of NSAIDs.•Higher current density produced smaller bubbles and achieved better performance.•The organic impurities in actual wastewater de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Separation and purification technology 2015-09, Vol.152, p.148-154
Main Authors: Liu, Yu-Jung, Lo, Shang-Lien, Liou, Ya-Hsuan, Hu, Ching-Yao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aluminum electrodes
Cationic
Cationic surfactant
Collectors
Density
Diclofenac
Drugs
Electrocoagulation
Electrocoagulation–flotation
Hospital wastewater
Ibuprofen
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Surfactants
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Summary:[Display omitted] •The addition of CTAB can enhance the removal of NSAIDs by ECF process.•The optimum dose of CTAB is equal to the sum of the molar concentration of NSAIDs.•Higher current density produced smaller bubbles and achieved better performance.•The organic impurities in actual wastewater decrease the performance of ECF. An electrocoagulation flotation (ECF) process was used to remove selected nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), specifically diclofenac, ibuprofen, and ketoprofen, from water. A cationic surfactant, cethyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), was added to the solution as a collector and frother. Without the addition of the cationic surfactant, the removal of NSAIDs in a single-NSAID solution was in the range of 10–45%; it decreased to approximately 10% in multiple-NSAID systems. However, after adding a stoichiometric amount of CTAB, the removal of NSAIDs significantly improved in single-NSAID systems. For multiple-NSAID removal, the concentration of CTAB required to achieve ideal removal was equal to the sum of the molar concentrations of all the NSAIDs. In addition, a high current density produced smaller bubbles, thus enhanced the electro-flotation and achieved better removal performance. Removal of multiple-NSAIDs in actual hospital wastewater was significantly lower due to interference by oils and other hydrophobic substances.
ISSN:1383-5866
1873-3794
DOI:10.1016/j.seppur.2015.08.015