Single, simultaneous and sequential applications of ultrasonic frequencies for the elimination of ibuprofen in water

Abstract

The study is about the assessment of single and multi-frequency operations for the overall degradation of a widely consumed analgesic pharmaceutical-ibuprofen (IBP). The selected frequencies were in the range of 20-1130kHz emissions coming from probes, baths and piezo-electric transducers attached to plate-type devices. Multi-frequency operations were applied either simultaneously as "duals", or sequentially at fixed time intervals; and the total reaction time in all operations was 30-min. The work also covers evaluation of the effect of zero-valent iron (ZVI) on the efficiency of the degradation process and the performance of the reaction systems. It was found that low-frequency probe type devices especially at 20kHz were ineffective when applied singly and without ZVI, and relatively more effective in combined-frequency operations in the presence of ZVI. The power efficiencies of the reactors and/or reaction systems showed that 20-kHz probe was considerably more energy intensive than all others, and was therefore not used in multi-frequency operations. The most efficient reactor in terms of power consumption was the bath (200kHz), which however provided insufficient mineralization of the test chemical. The highest percentage of TOC decay (37%) was obtained in a dual-frequency operation (40/572kHz) with ZVI, in which the energy consumption was neither low nor exceptionally too high. A sequential operation (40+200kHz) in that respect was more efficient, because it required much less energy for a similar TOC decay performance (30%). In general, the degradation of IBP increased with increased power consumption, which in turn reduced the sonochemical yield. The study also showed that advanced Fenton reactions with ZVI were faster in the presence of ultrasound, and the metal was very effective in improving the performance of low-frequency operations.

A fundamental study on the degradation of paracetamol under single- and dual-frequency ultrasound

“…While ultrasound is known as a clean AOP that does not require the addition of any chemical, the main drawbacks of this method are high energy consumption and long reaction times [30] . Accordingly, studies have been aiming to address these issues by finding the optimum condition via investigation of different parameters such as the sonication frequency and power [31] , [32] , or combining ultrasound with other AOPs or other ultrasound frequencies to enhance the efficiency of the process by the possible synergy [33] , [34] , [35] . Considering that combining multiple ultrasound frequencies requires the addition of no chemicals, since the early 2000 s, there has been an increase in the investigation of the possible advantages that simultaneous application of multiple frequencies might have over single-frequency ultrasound (SFUS).…”

Key Points of Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) for Wastewater, Organic Pollutants and Pharmaceutical Waste Treatment: A Mini Review

“…Wei et al [126] reported that ultrasonic irradiation activated persulphate for the degradation of carbamazepine, dioxines, trichloroethane and bisphenol A, both with and without thermal activation. The elimination of ibuprofen in water has been well addressed in the sequential use of ultrasonic frequencies, as reported by Ziylian-Yavas et al [121].…”

“…Lianou et al [120] degraded piroxicam from ultrapure water using different power densities. Ziylan-Yavas et al [121] succeeded in the degradation of ibuprofen from ultrapure water with the application of various single ultrasonic frequencies. Serna et al [122] degraded oxacillin from distilled water at 275 kHz.…”

Oxidative decomposition and mineralization of caffeine by advanced oxidation processes: The effect of hybridization

“…All single and hybrid AOP’s were carried out in a high-frequency plate-type ultrasonic reactor with a 120 W generator (operated at 90% capacity) connected to three piezoelectric transducers (22 cm 2 ) that emitting at 577 kHz (Ultraschall/ Meinhardt, Germany). The solution temperature in the reactor was maintained at 25 ± 0.5 °C by water circulation, and the power density was kept constant at 0.23 W mL −1 (determined by calorimetry) as reported in a previous work [28] . The light source in UV-supported AOP’s was a low-pressure mercury UV-lamp emitting monochromatically at 253.7 nm and operated at an intensity of 4.7 W m −2 .…”