Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Wastewater by Intermittent Electrocoagulation

Benny Ensano,Florencio Ballesteros,Laura Borea,Vincenzo Naddeo,Vincenzo Belgiorno,Mark De Luna

doi:10.3390/w9020085

Benny Ensano, Florencio Ballesteros + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/w9020085

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Abstract

The continuous release of emerging contaminants (ECs) in the aquatic environment, as a result of the inadequate removal by conventional treatment methods, has prompted research to explore viable solutions to this rising global problem. One promising alternative is the use of electrochemical processes since they represent a simple and highly efficient technology with less footprint. In this paper, the feasibility of treating ECs (i.e., pharmaceuticals) using an intermittent electrocoagulation process, a known electrochemical technology, has been investigated. Diclofenac (DCF), carbamazepine (CBZ) and amoxicillin (AMX) were chosen as being representative of highly consumed drugs that are frequently detected in our water resources and were added in synthetic municipal wastewater. The removal efficiencies of both individual and combined pharmaceuticals were determined under different experimental conditions: hydraulic retention time (HRT) (6, 19 and 38 h), initial concentration (0.01, 4 and 10 mg/L) and intermittent application (5 min ON/20 min OFF) of current density (0.5, 1.15 and 1.8 mA/cm2). Results have shown that these parameters have significant effects on pharmaceutical degradation. Maximum removals (DCF = 90%, CBZ = 70% and AMX = 77%) were obtained at a current density of 0.5 mA/cm2, an initial concentration of 10 mg/L and HRT of 38 h.

Highlights

The presence of emerging contaminants (ECs), such as pharmaceuticals, in our water resources has raised great concern among scientists worldwide due to their persistence in nature and ecotoxicological effects on terrestrial and aquatic organisms
Diclofenac (DCF), carbamazepine (CBZ) and amoxicillin (AMX) are three of the most frequently detected in the aquatic environment [1,2]
Liu et al [24] investigated the electrocoagulation-flotation of DCF in the presence of other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), i.e., ibuprofen and ketoprofen, and the results suggested that the addition of a cationic surfactant significantly increased the elimination of 100 μM DCF (29.6 mg/L) from synthetic and real hospital wastewater by applying a current of 0.5 A

Summary

Introduction

The presence of ECs, such as pharmaceuticals, in our water resources has raised great concern among scientists worldwide due to their persistence in nature and ecotoxicological effects on terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Among these pharmaceuticals, diclofenac (DCF), carbamazepine (CBZ) and amoxicillin (AMX) are three of the most frequently detected in the aquatic environment [1,2]. AMX, on the other hand, is a broad spectrum antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections caused by susceptible microorganisms [5] Due to their low biodegradability, they are incompletely removed in conventional wastewater treatment plants, thereby, posing a high risk

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