Improved biodegradation of pharmaceuticals after mild photocatalytic pretreatment
- de Wilt, Arnoud
- Arlos, Maricor J.
- Servos, Mark R.
- Rijnaarts, Huub H.M.
- Langenhoff, Alette A.M.
- Parker, Wayne J.
DOIAbstract
The combination of photocatalysis and biodegradation was investigated for the removal of nine selected pharmaceuticals as a means to reduce loadings into the environment. The combined process, consisting of a resource-efficient mild photocatalysis and a subsequent biological treatment, was compared to single processes of intensive photocatalysis and biological treatment. The UV-TiO2 based photocatalysis effectively removed atorvastatin, atenolol and fluoxetine (>80%). Biological treatment after mild photocatalytic pretreatment removed diclofenac effectively (>99%), while it persisted during the single biological treatment (<50%). Moreover, the biodegradation of atorvastatin, caffeine, gemfibrozil and ibuprofen was enhanced after mild photoc...
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