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

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2017

Authors

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

Journal

Title: Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Vol. 24 No. 1

Pages: 844-854

ISSN: 0944-1344

Publisher: Springer Nature

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 3 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 10 Citations

Associated Projects

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

Other information

Authenticus ID: 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.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 11