Comparison of different advanced degradation processes for the removal of the pharmaceutical compounds diclofenac and carbamazepine from liquid solutions

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2018-10, Vol.25 (28), p.27704-27723
• Main Authors: Capodaglio, Andrea G., Bojanowska-Czajka, Anna, Trojanowicz, Marek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Carbamazepine; Carbamazepine - analysis; Carbamazepine - toxicity; Catalysis; Degradation; Diclofenac; Diclofenac - analysis; Diclofenac - toxicity; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Electrochemical oxidation; Electrochemistry; Electron beams; Energy consumption; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Free radicals; Humans; Hydrogen peroxide; Hydrogen Peroxide - chemistry; Iron - chemistry; Microwaves; New Challenges in the Application of Advanced Oxidation Processes; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Oxidants; Oxidation; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxidizing agents; Ozone - chemistry; Pollutants; Radicals; Radiolysis; Solutions; Ultraviolet radiation; Ultraviolet Rays; Waste Water - chemistry; Waste Water Technology; Wastewater treatment; Water chemistry; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water pollution; Water Pollution Control; Water Purification - methods
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-1913-6

Carbamazepine and diclofenac are two examples of drugs with widespread geographical and environmental media proliferation that are poorly removed by traditional wastewater treatment processes. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been proposed as alternative methods to remove these compounds in solution. AOPs are based on a wide class of powerful technologies, including UV radiation, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, Fenton process, catalytic wet peroxide oxidation, heterogeneous photocatalysis, electrochemical oxidation and their combinations, sonolysis, and microwaves applicable to both water and wastewater. Moreover, processes rely on the production of oxidizing radicals (•OH and others) in a solution to decompose present pollutants. Water radiolysis-based processes, which are an alternative to the former, involve the use of concentrated energy (beams of accelerated electrons or γ-rays) to split water molecules, generating strong oxidants and reductants (radicals) at the same time. In this paper, the degradation of carbamazepine and diclofenac by means of all these processes is discussed and compared. Energy and byproduct generation issues are also addressed.