Treatment of Pharmaceutical Sludge by Fenton Oxidation Process

Abstract

Abstract-Fenton Oxidation process was used to treat the pharmaceutical sludge having the COD value of 118, 400 mg/L for the safe disposal. By varying the ratio of ferrous to hydrogen peroxide for different molar ratio (0.1M, 0.2M, 0.3M, 0.35M,0.4 M) of Fenton's reagent the pharmaceutical sludge was treated and COD reductions were calculated and optimum ratio was found out. Sludge was also treated by physical treatment by varying the pH and temperature and COD reductions were calculated and the optimum point was found out. The untreated and treated sludge was subjected to GC-MS for the quantitative analysis of non-biodegradable compounds. Scanning Electron Microscope image acquistation and elemental analysis were also studied for both treated and untreated samples. The purpose of the study is to find the suitable end-use method for reusing the treated and oxidized products.

Degradation of the Antibiotic Ceftriaxone by Fenton Oxidation Process and Compound Analysis

“…Less radicals being formed may be due to the fact that there is a decrease in dissolved iron. 19 Maximum reduction in COD was, however, recorded at pH 5.2 and temperature of 47°C. pH 6.1 shows that COD level can be reduced furthermore compared to other pH values.…”

“…[15][16][17][18] The limitations of treating further the concentrate from membrane filtration and sorption processes drive the interest towards further exploring and optimising chemical oxidation process. 19 Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are based on the generation of free hydroxyl radicals (OH). Free hydroxyl radicals are highly reactive due to their unstable state in the configuration of energy shell, and non-selective oxidising agents.…”

“…is at 1:2 and 1:8. 19 The hydroxyl radical attack indicates that bonds do not break in an orderly manner but rather depending on concentration of radicals present during the reaction and the kinetic rate of each reaction. In the Fenton system, the reaction between ferrous ions and the hydrogen peroxide which produces hydroxyl radicals and ferric ions, has a high rate constant (k = 63 l mol…”

“…19 Generation of hydroxyl radical depends largely on the pH value of the solution in which the radicals are generated. As the pH increases to more than 4, lower number of radicals are formed and thus, degradation efficiency is reduced.…”

“…21 Other parameters such as pH and temperature also affect the efficiency of the process. 19 An analytical way to compare results is to verify the chemical oxygen demand (COD) level and total suspended solids (TSS) level before the oxidation process and after the treatment.…”