Content area
Full Text
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s11356-016-7339-0&domain=pdf
Web End = http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s11356-016-7339-0&domain=pdf
Web End = Environ Sci Pollut Res (2016) 23:2299323004 DOI 10.1007/s11356-016-7339-0
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Ibuprofen photodegradation in aqueous solutions
Pasquale Iovino1 & Simeone Chianese2 & Silvana Canzano1 & Marina Prisciandaro3 &
Dino Musmarra2
Received: 10 March 2016 /Accepted: 28 July 2016 /Published online: 31 August 2016 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016
Abstract The advanced treatment of polluted liquid streams containing traces of pharmaceutical compounds is a major issue, since more and more effluents from pharma labs and wastewaters containing the excretions of medically treated humans and animals are discharged in the conventional waste-water treatment plants without previous effective treatments. Ibuprofen is a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which explains why it is found in wastewaters so often. In this paper, the removal of IBP from simulated water streams was investigated by using a lab-scale experimental device, consisting of a batch reactor equipped with a lamp emitting monochromatic UV light at a fixed wavelength (254 nm) and various intensities. Three sets of experiments were carried out: the first to study IBP concentration as a function of time, at different volumes of treated solutions (V = 1030 mL); the second to explore the effect of pH on IBP degradation as a function of time (pH = 2.258.25) and the third to evaluate the effect of different UV light intensities on IBP degradation (E = 100400 mJ m2). The IBP initial concentration (IBP0) was varied in the range 3060 mg L1.
The results obtained show that the concentration of IBP decreases along with treatment time, with a negative effect of the treated volume, i.e. smaller volumes, such as lower liquid heights, are more easily degraded. Moreover, the higher the pH, the better the IBP degradation; actually, when pH increases from 2.25 to 6.6 and 8.25, the IBP concentration, after an hour of treatment, decreases respectively to 45, 34 and 27 % of its initial value. In addition, as the intensity of light increases from 100 to 400 mJ m2, the IBP concentration decreases to 34 % of its initial value. A reaction scheme is put forward in the paper, which well describes the effects of volume, pH and light intensity on the IBP degradation measured experimentally. Moreover, the IBP degradation byproducts have been...