“Evaluation of Photocatalysis as Pre-Treatment for the Degradation of Recalcitrant Emerging Pollutants

M. L. SATUF; ZACARIAS, SILVIA MERCEDES; ALFANO, ORLANDO M; AGUSTINA MANASSERO

Cusco

Congreso; "5th Iberoamerican Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies (CIPOA)"; 2022

Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (Lima, Peru) y UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL SANTIAGO ANTÚNEZ DE MAYOLO (Huaraz, Perú)

Clofibric acid (CA) is a non-biodegradable pharmaceutical drug with high persistence in the environment. In this work, heterogeneous photocatalysis with TiO 2 was applied to enhancethe biodegradability of a solution containing CA. Photocatalysis was carried out in an annular reactor filled with glass rings coated with the catalyst and irradiated by UV-LEDs. After 12 h of treatment, CA conversion of 90% was reached in the photocatalytic reactor, with a significant increase in thebiodegradability of the solution. These results prove the feasibility of coupling photocatalysis with biological oxidation to reduce the time and costs of remediation processes.