Removal of pharmaceuticals through UV-C/Performic acid advanced oxidation process: Kinetics and identification of reactive species
type: Article
item type: journalArticle
is part of: Journal of Hazardous Materials
authors: Person
  surname: Nabintu Kajoka
  given name: Christelle
authors: Person
  surname: Brosillon
  given name: Stephan
authors: Person
  surname: Reibel
  given name: Corine
authors: Person
  surname: Diop
  given name: Yacine Khadija
authors: Person
  surname: Oliveira
  given name: Marcos
authors: Person
  surname: Rocher
  given name: Vincent
authors: Person
  surname: Chebbo
  given name: Ghassan
authors: Person
  surname: Gasperi
  given name: Johnny
authors: Person
  surname: Le Roux
  given name: Julien
subject: /unread
subject: Peracetic acid
subject: Peracid
subject: Transformation products
subject: UV-C photolysis
subject: Wastewater treatment
abstract: Performic acid (PFA), widely recognized for its disinfectant properties in wastewater, shows selective and limited reactivity in oxidizing micropollutants. This study investigates the activation of PFA through UV-C photolysis to generate an advanced oxidation process (UV-C/PFA) and enhance the degradation of six pharmaceuticals: lidocaine, furosemide, sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac, acetaminophen, and carbamazepine. The synergy of UV-C photolysis with PFA enhances the removal of PFA-persistent pharmaceuticals. For instance, diclofenac, acetaminophen, and sulfamethoxazole, initially unreactive with PFA, were entirely degraded within ten minutes under UV-C/PFA in a phosphate buffer solution. This increased reactivity results from generated reactive species like hydroxyl (HO•), peroxyl (R–O•) radicals and singlet oxygen (1O2), confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance, with HO• primarily originating from the background H2O2 present in the PFA solution. While UV-C/PFA produced fewer HO• than UV-C/H2O2, it has distinct advantages through the selective action of 1O2 and R–O• in degrading some pharmaceuticals. 1O2 was also detected in the PFA solution and could explain its selective reactivity, especially with compounds containing reduced sulfur or tertiary amine groups. Overall, UV-C/PFA yields transformation products of lower molar mass compared to PFA, thus potentially increasing mineralization. In wastewater effluent, UV-C/PFA improved pharmaceutical degradation, though scavenging effects by wastewater constituents reduced removal rates.
date: 2025-09-05
pages: 139016
date submitted: 2025-07-04 07:41:44
short title: Removal of pharmaceuticals through UV-C/Performic acid advanced oxidation process
library catalog: ScienceDirect

Journal of Hazardous Materials
type: Journal
volume: 495
alternative: Journal of Hazardous Materials
identifier: DOI 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139016
identifier: ISSN 0304-3894