Abstract
Alkylating antineoplastic agents used in modern oncological treatments constitute noteworthy environmental hazards with a great long-term impact on human health. This paper introduces an asymmetric current density electrochemical microreactor specifically designed to neutralize alkylating cytostatic drugs from wastewaters. The reactor is based on the principle of anodic electro-oxidation (AEO) and on chemical oxidation via anode-generated chlorine reactive species (CRS). The design of this electrochemical reactor facilitates very good (approx. 99%) neutralization yields for the substance used in this study. Keywords: electrochemical reactor, asymmetric current density, cytostatic drug waste, electrooxidation
Highlights
Experimental part Materials and methodsThe asymmetric current density electrochemical microreactor is comprised of a 55 mm high, 60 mm diameter Plexiglas cylinder with a small nozzle on the bottom side, which serves to fill and drain the liquid content of the cylinder
Alkylating antineoplastic agents used in modern oncological treatments constitute noteworthy environmental hazards with a great long-term impact on human health
The experimental data shows that the electrochemical microreactor is suitable for cyclophosphamide electrodegradation within a reasonable time frame and with relatively low energy requirements
Summary
The asymmetric current density electrochemical microreactor is comprised of a 55 mm high, 60 mm diameter Plexiglas cylinder with a small nozzle on the bottom side, which serves to fill and drain the liquid content of the cylinder. Covering the cylinder is a Plexiglas lid that fits most of the working components: 8 thick graphite bars (constituting the anode), the stainless steel cathode, the mechanical stirrer and its motor, the compressed air intake and electrolysis gas product evacuation tubes, and a sampling nozzle for live sample collection. When the reactor is full, the signal from the volume sensor stops the pump and starts the electrolysis reaction. The microreactor is fitted with a compressor which generates a flow of compressed air (500 mL/minute) through the reaction medium, pushing out the electrolysis gas product, which would otherwise have a corrosive effect on the reactor. The determination of cyclophosphamide concentration before and during the electrolysis reaction was made using an Agilent 1100 Series high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrument, fitted with an analytic-grade reverse-phase C18 column (Zorbax SB-C18). The retention time of cyclophosphamide is 19.1 minutes [9,10]
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