Degradation of the cytostatic 5-Fluorouracil in water by Fenton and photo-assisted oxidation processes

• Tipo: Artigo em Revista Científica Internacional
• Data: 2017

Autores

Mónica S. F. Santos (Autor) FEUP; Mariana Governo (Autor) FEUP; Arminda Alves (Autor) FEUP; Luís M. Madeira (Autor) FEUP

Revista

Título: Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Vol. 24 Nº 1

Páginas: 844-854

ISSN: 0944-1344

Editora: Springer Nature

Indexação

ISI Web of Knowledge - 23 Citações

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 26 Citações

Projetos Associados

LEPABE - Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia

Outras Informações

ID Authenticus: P-00M-4GY

DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7827-2

Abstract (EN): Cytostatics are part of the forefront research topics due to their high prescription, high toxicity, and the lack of effective solutions to stop their entrance and spread in the environment. Among them, 5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) has received particular attention because is one of the most prescribed active substances in chemotherapy worldwide. The degradation of 5-Fu by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) is a poorly addressed topic, and this work brings valuable inputs concerning this matter. Herein, the efficacy of Fenton's process in the degradation of 5-Fu is explored for the first time; the study of the main variables and its successful application to the treatment of real wastewaters is demonstrated. Moreover, hydrogen peroxide-based and photo-assisted techniques (direct photolysis, photodegradation with H2O2 and photo-Fenton) are also investigated for purposes of comparison. Under the best operation conditions obtained (T = 30 degrees C, [Fe2+](0) = 0.5 mM; [H2O2](0) = 240 mM and pH = 3 for [5-Fu](0) = 0.38 mM), 5-Fu was completely eliminated after 2 h of Fenton's reaction and about 50 % of mineralization was reached after 8 h. The best performance was obtained by the photo-Fenton process, with 5-Fu mineralization level as high as 67 %, using an iron dose within the legal limits required for direct water discharge. Toxicity (towards Vibrio fischeri) of the effluents that resulted from the application of the above-mentioned AOPs was also evaluated; it was found that the degradation products generated from the photo-assisted processes are less toxic than the parent compound, putting into evidence the relevance of such technologies for degradation of cytostatics like 5-Fu.

Idioma: Inglês

Tipo (Avaliação Docente): Científica

Nº de páginas: 11