Abstract
Abstract A solar pilot-scale cascade reactor system with novel Fe TiO2 composite beads possessing unusual characteristics of in-situ dual effect i.e. coupling of photocatalysis and photo-Fenton has been investigated in once-through mode. The cascade arrangement of packed-bed reactors maintained sufficient turbulence in the system besides eliminating the implications of film-diffusion resistance. The synergistic effect (10%) of in-situ dual process over individual processes has significantly reduced the treatment time of a recalcitrant antibiotic, Cephalexin (CEX). The reaction performance of the once-through cascade reactor system (comprising of six packed-bed reactors in series) incorporating in-situ dual effect at optimized conditions i.e. H2O2: 600 mgL−1, flow rate: 50 mLmin-1, with a space time (Ʈ) of 12 min approached to that of plug-flow reactor (PFR). The mineralization of CEX was evaluated through reduction in COD (70%) and TOC (63%) along with generation of anions and evolution of CO2. The treated solution of CEX was completely non-toxic as confirmed through Kirby-Bauer test and bio-assay analysis based on toxicity factor. In addition to this, Fe TiO2 composite beads depicted an excellent recyclability efficiency (>70 recycles) even under continuous flow conditions as confirmed through SEM/EDS, DRS, XRD, XPS and TGA analysis. The overall cost of treatment process was evaluated in detail to visualize the practical feasibility of the presented high performance reactor system.
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