Thermally activated persulfate as an efficient and sustainable solution for the removal of pharmaceutical compounds from water : application to hospital effluents -

Abstract

Thermally activated persulfate (TAP) has been recently introduced as an advanced oxidation process (AOP) for water treatment. In this thesis, we study the feasibility and efficiency of TAP for the removal of pharmaceutical compounds from water. In order to study the ability of TAP to remove pharmaceuticals from aqueous solutions, three different active ingredients from two commonly used pharmaceutical classes have been chosen to be studied in this thesis. Experimental studies were performed on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory Naproxen and Ibuprofen, as well as on Beta-Blocker Bisoprolol Fumarate. Reaction rates were calculated alongside with studying factors affecting reaction rates such as temperature, pH, concentrations and inorganic additives effect. Furthermore reaction activation energies and reaction stoichiometric efficiency (RSE) were calculated. Moreover, degradation of pharmaceuticals and their percent mineralization have been monitored, as well as by-product evolution and degradation in an attempt to propose degradation pathways and determine by-product identity. Matrix effect was studied in the form of hospital effluent spiked with pharmaceuticals and treated with TAP. Overall, this thesis aims to show the importance of TAP as an advanced oxidation process, using advanced analytical techniques, for the removal of pharmaceuticals whether in lab induced contamination of ultra-pure water, or in a matrix of collected hospital effluents.