Catalytic wet air oxidation of sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline using platinum-based catalysts at eco-operating conditions

Abstract

Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are unsuitable for emerging contaminants' elimination. Most of these pollutants persist after the treatment and threaten the receiving environment. Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) is one of the promising solutions to treat these concentrated active molecules. This study reports the catalytic degradation tests on sulfamethoxazole (SM) and tetracycline (TET) using platinum (Pt) supported on cerium oxide (Ce) and mixed cerium and zirconium oxides (CeZr). Pt/CeZr catalyst showed 98 % TET elimination at 50 °C under atmospheric pressure (Patm). Furthermore, the test at room conditions reached 92 % removal. Pt/Ce test enabled 77 % SM elimination and reached 45 % SM mineralization. Toxicity assessment confirmed the environmental legibility of the treated solution using CWAO. The outcomes of this study showed an eco-energetic, eco-friendly, and efficient way to treat wastewater loaded with pharmaceutical pollutants.