Carbamazepine and Diclofenac Removal Double Treatment: Oxidation and Adsorption

In the present research, the effect of two hybrid treatments, ozone followed by powdered activated carbon (PAC) or PAC followed by ozone (O-3), was studied for the removal of two drugs present in water: diclofenac and carbamazepine. In the study, two initial concentrations of each of the contaminants, 0.7 mg L-1 and 1.8 mg L-1, were used. Different doses of PAC between 4-20 mg L-1 were studied as variables, as well as different doses of O-3 between 0.056-0.280 mg L-1. The evolution of the concentration of each contaminant over time was evaluated. From the results obtained, it was concluded that the combined treatment with ozone followed by PAC reduces between 50% and 75% the time required to achieve 90% removal of diclofenac when compared with the time required when only activated carbon was used. In the case of carbamazepine, the time required was 97% less. For carbamazepine, to achieve reduction percentages of up to 90%, O-3 treatment followed by PAC acted faster than PAC followed by O-3. In the case of diclofenac, PAC treatment followed by O-3 was faster to reach concentrations of up to 90%. However, to reach yields below 80%, O-3 treatment followed by PAC was more efficient.

Automated summary

The study found that the combined treatment with ozone followed by PAC significantly reduced the removal time for diclofenac and carbamazepine. The optimal treatment sequence varied for different pharmaceutical contaminants.