A review toward contaminants of emerging concern in Brazil: Occurrence, impact and their degradation by advanced oxidation process in aquatic matrices

This work presents data regarding the occurrence and treatment of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in Brazil in the past decade. The literature review (2011 - 2021) revealed the detection of 87 pharmaceutical drugs and personal care products, 58 pesticides, 8 hormones, 2 illicit drugs, caffeine and bisphenol A in distinct matrices (i.e.: wastewater, groundwater, sea water, rainwater, surface water, drinking water and hospital effluent). Concentra- tions of CFCs varied from ng-mu g L-1 depending on the location, compound and matrix. The inefficiency of conven- tional wastewater treatment methods on the removal of CECs and lack of basic sanitation in some regions in the country aggravates contamination of Brazilian aquatic environments and poses potential environmental and health risks. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are pointed out as viable and efficient alternatives to degrade CECs and prevent environmental contamination. A total of 375 studies involving the use of AOPs in Brazilian aqueous matrices were published in the last decade. Fenton and photo-Fenton processes, photo-peroxidation, ozonation, electrochemical advanced oxidation and heterogeneous photocatalysis are some of the AOPs applied by Brazilian research groups. Although many works discuss the importance of applying these technologies for CECs removal in real treatment plants, most of these studies assess the treatment of distilled water or simulated effluent. Therefore, the conduction of studies applying AOPs in real matrices are critical to drive the implementation of these processes coupled to conventional water and wastewater treatment in real plants in order to prevent the contamination of environmental matrices by CECs in Brazil.

Automated summary

This work presents data on the occurrence and treatment of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in Brazil in the past decade. The study reveals the detection of various pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides, hormones, illicit drugs, caffeine, and bisphenol A in different matrices. The inefficiency of conventional wastewater treatment methods and lack of basic sanitation contribute to the contamination of Brazilian aquatic environments and pose environmental and health risks. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are considered viable alternatives to degrade CECs and prevent contamination. However, most studies evaluate the treatment of distilled water or simulated effluent, highlighting the importance of conducting studies in real matrices to drive the implementation of AOPs in water and wastewater treatment plants.