Toxicity and biodegradability assessment of raw and ozonated procaine penicillin G formulation effluent

Abstract

The effect of O 3 (applied dose=1440 mg h −1; pH 7 and pH 12) and H 2O 2/O 3 (applied dose=1440 mg h −1; pH 7; 10 mM H 2O 2) pretreatment of procaine penicillin G (PPG) formulation effluent on its biodegradability and acute toxicity was investigated. For that purpose ISO 8192 activated sludge inhibition and Daphnia magna acute toxicity tests were conducted. BOD 5 measurements that were carried out to preevaluate the biocompatibility of untreated, ozonated, and perozonated PPG effluent have shown that BOD 5 alone was not a very correct or useful tool to predict the actual biodegradability of PPG effluent. No significant correlation existed between the BOD 5 and the toxicity test results. Acute toxicity studies carried out with D. magna and synthetic municipal sewage sludge have demonstrated the inhibitory effect of H 2O 2/O 3 oxidation. COD removal of pharmaceutical wastewater containing PPG effluent with acclimated sewage sludge decreased from 79% to 50% after H 2O 2/O 3 pretreatment.