Developing advanced treatment technologies for improving the removal of micropollutants in water/wastewater is important. A suitable treatment is more likely to be used as the polishing step in the treatment scheme. Advanced oxidation technologies (AOTs) are relevant for removing micropollutants. The ability of direct UV photolysis and selected AOTs to degrade pharmaceuticals, endocrine-disrupting compound and herbicide has been studied and compared. The tested methods resulted in the degradation of the studied micropollutants; however, none of the methods was preferred for the removal of all tested compounds. The UV-active processes have strong potential for removal of the studied micropollutants. The utilisation of a moderate hydrogen peroxide admixture resulted in a more reliable treatment.
Background: Pharmaceuticals have arisen as emerging environmental pollutants due to their potential impact on humans, animals and microorganisms even at low concentrations. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are known to be ineffective for removal of many pharmaceuticals present in wastewater. Advanced oxidation processes are one of the most promising treatment technologies for degradation of such persistent compounds. The current study was focused on the efficacies of various oxidation processes for degradation of diclofenac (DCF) as one of the most widespread pharmaceuticals.
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