Removal of Acetaminophen from Aqueous Solutions by Hybrid Fenton Oxidation and Adsorption

Abstract

Pharmaceutical compounds have recently been identified as Pollutants of Emerging Concern in wastewater due to potential health hazards, and a number of methods are being developed to remove this contaminant from wastewater and water bodies. The goal of this study is to use the Fenton process for the removal of acetaminophen (ACT), followed by an adsorption process. The effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ferrous ions (Fe+2), adsorbent dose, temperature, and pH were evaluated. During Fenton’s process, the first portion of degradation was achieved in 3 minutes under optimum conditions of Fe+2- 15 mg/l, H2O2 – 150 mg/l, and pH – 3.0, while the second part of degradation was obtained in one hour under an optimization dose of adsorbent nano zero valent aluminum (nZVAL) of 600 mg/l and PH-8. We observed 88% of removal efficiency under these conditions. The study concluded that the Fenton process followed by the adsorption process is more efficient than the Fenton process alone in the degradation of ACT.