Photocatalytic degradation of paracetamol mediating luminous textile: Intensification of the chemical oxidation

An innovative photoreactor was applied as an emerging advanced oxidation process (AOP) to investigate Paracetamol (PL) degradation under different operating conditions. The system consisted of a textile woven from optical fiber and textile yarn. The luminous fiber textile was coupled to UVA LED, and the photocatalytic textile fibers is impregnated with TiO2. The effectiveness of configuration I, based on a luminous textile with UV LED, was compared with that based of TiO2 immobilized on cellulosic paper (CP) with external UV irradiation (configuration 2). The specific degradation rate obtained with configuration 1 was 40 times higher than that with configuration II. Configuration I also showed efficient performance in mineralization per Watt consumed, with values reaching 81 times higher than those obtained with configuration II. Also, to achieve high removal effi-ciency of the pollutant with the new technology of luminous textiles, the effect of operating parameters, namely pollutant concentration, UV intensity, flow rate and TiO2 mass deposited were discussed. It is worth noting that the optimal conditions for a 95.7 % degradation rate of 1 mg/L of Paracetamol were obtained with 26 g/m2 mass catalyst, 5 W/m2 UV intensity and 52.2 L/h flow rate after 340 min. In addition, upon associating two luminous textiles, the degradation efficiency reached 98.76 % after only 140 min. Besides, by adding hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the optimal conditions with 10 mg/L of Paracetamol concentration, the degradation efficiency reached 98.81 % after 240 min. The excellent performances in terms of degradation rate, mineralization per Watt consumed, and energy consumption make luminous textiles an attractive alternative to conventional photo-catalytic reactors designed for the removal of Paracetamol in water and wastewater.

Automated summary

An innovative photoreactor, consisting of luminous fiber textile coupled to UVA LED and photocatalytic textile fibers impregnated with TiO2, was used to investigate the degradation of Paracetamol (PL) under different operating conditions. Configuration I showed a 40 times higher degradation rate and 81 times higher mineralization per Watt consumed compared to configuration II. The optimal conditions for a 95.7% degradation rate of 1 mg/L Paracetamol were achieved with 26 g/m2 mass catalyst, 5 W/m2 UV intensity, and 52.2 L/h flow rate after 340 min. Addition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) further increased the degradation efficiency.