Abstract
The combination of a low-pressure mercury lamp and chlorine (UV/chlorine) was applied as an emerging advanced oxidation process (AOP), to examine paracetamol (PRC) degradation under different operational conditions. The results indicated that the UV/chlorine process exhibited a much faster PRC removal than the UV/H2O2 process or chlorination alone because of the great contribution of highly reactive species (•OH, •Cl, and ClO•). The PRC degradation rate constant (kobs) was accurately determined by pseudo-first-order kinetics. The kobs values were strongly affected by the operational conditions, such as chlorine dosage, solution pH, UV intensity, and coexisting natural organic matter. Response surface methodology was used for the optimization of four independent variables (NaOCl, UV, pH, and DOM). A mathematical model was established to predict and optimize the operational conditions for PRC removal in the UV/chlorine process. The main transformation products (twenty compound structures) were detected by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS).
Highlights
Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and polar pesticides—ubiquitously present in water bodies—have been identified and reported as emerging organic micropollutants
pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) residues are typically detected in water bodies at trace levels ranging from a few nanograms per liter to several microgram per liter [4,5], their existence in an aquatic environment could deteriorate the water quality, cause ecotoxicity to living aquatic organisms, and negatively impact human health [2,6]
The results demonstrated that the PRC degradation efficiency within 30 min by the different processes decreased the following order: UV/chlorine (~99%) > NaClO
Summary
Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and polar pesticides—ubiquitously present in water bodies (i.e., groundwaters, rivers and lakes, hospital effluents, domestic effluents, pharmaceutical industries, and wastewater treatment plants)—have been identified and reported as emerging organic micropollutants. The elimination of residual PPCPs from the water environment (especially from municipal wastewater) is an urgent concern for the social and scientific communities. PPCPs residues are typically detected in water bodies at trace levels ranging from a few nanograms per liter (ng/L) to several microgram per liter (μg/L) [4,5], their existence in an aquatic environment could deteriorate the water quality, cause ecotoxicity to living aquatic organisms, and negatively impact human health ( with long-term exposure) [2,6]. Public Health 2018, 15, 2637; doi:10.3390/ijerph15122637 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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