UVA LEDs and solar light photocatalytic oxidation/ozonation as a tertiary treatment using supported TiO2: With an eye on the photochemical properties of the secondary effluent

Photocatalytic oxidation/ozonation of a mixture of eight pharmaceuticals added to a secondary effluent, SE, of an urban wastewater treatment plant has been studied using TiO2 supported on commercial Al2O3/SiO2 ceramic foams. As radiation source UVA LEDs (365 nm) or solar radiation was used. Pharmaceuticals were added at high (1 mg L-1 each) or relatively low (50 mu g L-1 each) concentration, contributing 25% and 1.5% to the initial TOC, respectively. Under both types of radiation, the photolysis of SE generated reactive species capable of degrading the contaminants (indirect photolysis), this effect being greater at lower initial concentration of pollutants. Lower concentration of contaminants also favoured their degradation and the SE mineralization by photo catalytic oxidation, whereas its effect on ozonation was low. The best results were obtained by photocatalytic ozonation, especially in terms of COD removal, without observing any synergism or antagonism between O-3/ Radiation and TiO2/Radiation systems. In SE, the performance of the supported catalyst resulted much better than that of suspended TiO2 P25, which showed almost no activity in this matrix. Through different cycles of reuse, the stability of the supported catalyst was confirmed.

Automated summary

This study investigated photocatalytic oxidation/ozonation of pharmaceuticals in secondary effluent using TiO2 supported on ceramic foams. The results showed that photocatalytic ozonation was the most effective method for COD removal, while the presence of contaminants favored their degradation and mineralization.