engleski

Application of ferrates(VI) for the removal of pharmaceuticals in water

The application of pharmaceuticals is a growing problem and also a main pathway for their introduction into waste water. Some pharmaceuticals are present within the Water Framework Directive and classified in the group of emerging water pollutants because of their harmful effects to the environment and human health [1]. Even though they have been detected in low concentrations (ppm, ppb) in the environment, they represent a problem due to their physicochemical features and properties. Therefore it is a matter of high importance to consider synergistic effect of their mixtures which can result with even more far‐reaching consequences for the environment [2]. Conventional waste water treatment systems have a low efficiency for removal of pharmaceuticals and they remain in the water after treatment. The development of new methods for waste water treatment with a higher effectiveness is necessary. Lately, ferrates (VI) became a promising new oxidation agent. Due to their high oxidation potential (E°= +2.20 V in acidic media) they have shown high efficiency for removal and degradation of organic pollutants in water [3]. The aim of this work was to establish the level of removal of pharmaceuticals such as carbamazepine, dexamethasone and diclofenac as separate substances or in a mixture using potassium ferrate (K2FeO4) in aqueous media. For that purpose the design of experiment and response surface methodology were applied for establishing optimal conditions in a batch reactor. The process was followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detector (DAD) for the determination of the concentration of pharmaceuticals during treatment. Besides that, environmental aspects such as chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) have been established. Changes of water quality parameters, e.g. chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) indicated a low mineralization extent.

ferrates(VI) ; removal of pharmaceuticals

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