UV-A activation of peroxymonosulfate for the removal of micropollutants from secondary treated wastewater

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2021

Authors

Sonia Guerra-Rodríguez (Author) Other; Ana R. Lado Ribeiro (Author) FEUP; Rui S. Ribeiro (Author) FEUP; Encarnación Rodríguez (Author) Other; Adrián M. T Silva (Author) FEUP; Jorge Rodríguez-Chueca (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Science of the Total Environment

Vol. 770 No. Art. 145299

Pages: 1-13

ISSN: 0048-9697

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus - 2 Citations

Associated Projects

InSpeCt - Identifying and interrupting micropollutants of EU concern by using Smart Carbon materials

SAMPREP - Novas técnicas miniaturizadas de preparação de amostra para determinação de micropoluentes em matrizes ambientais

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00T-SB7

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145299

Abstract (EN): The occurrence of micropollutants (MPs) in the aquatic environment poses a threat to the environment and to the human health. The application of sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) to eliminate these contaminants has attracted attention in recent years. In this work, the simultaneous degradation of 20 multi-class MPs (classified into 5 main categories, namely antibiotics, beta-blockers, other pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and herbicides) was evaluated for the first time in secondary treated wastewater, by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with UV-A radiation, without any pH adjustment or iron addition. The optimal PMS concentration to remove the spiked target MPs (100 mu g L-1) from wastewater was 0.1 mM, leading to an average degradation of 80% after 60 min, with most of the elimination occurring during the first 5 min. Synergies between radiation and the oxidant were demonstrated and quantified, with an average extent of synergy of 69.1%. The optimized treatment was then tested using non-spiked wastewater, in which 12 out of the 20 target contaminants were detected. Among these, 7 were degraded at some extent, varying from 10.7% (acetamiprid) to 94.4% (ofloxacin), the lower removals being attributed to the quite inferior ratio of MPs to natural organic matter. Phytotoxicity tests carried out with the wastewater before and after photo-activated PMS oxidation revealed a decrease in the toxicity and that the plants were able to grow in the presence of the treated water. Therefore, despite the low degradation rates obtained for some MPs, the treatment effectively reduces the toxicity of the matrix, making the water safer for reuse.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 13