Ultrasonic treatment of water contaminated with ibuprofen.

The application of ultrasound (US) waves for remediation of wastewater is an area of increasing interest and promising results. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of several parameters of the US process on the degradation of ibuprofen (IBP), a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory recalcitrant drug found in water. Applied US power, dissolved gas, pH and initial concentration of IBP were the parameters investigated under sonication (300 kHz). Ultrasound increased the degradation of IBP from 30 to 98% in 30 min. Initial rate of IBP degradation was evaluated in the range of 1.35 and 6.1 micromolL(-1)min(-1) for initial concentrations of 2 to 21 mgL(-1) or 9.7 micromolL(-1) to 101 micromolL(-1), respectively. Under air and oxygen the degradation rate of IBP was 4 micromolL(-1)min(-1) being higher than that when argon was used. The most favorable degradation pH was acidic media. Complete removal of IBP was achieved but some dissolved organic carbon (DOC) remained in solution showing that long-lived intermediates were recalcitrant to the US irradiation. However, chemical and biological oxygen demands (COD and BOD(5)) indicated that the process oxidize the ibuprofen compound to biodegradable substances removable in a subsequent biological step.

[1]  Santiago Esplugas,et al.  Ozonation and advanced oxidation technologies to remove endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in water effluents. , 2007, Journal of hazardous materials.

[2]  J. Hartmann,et al.  Degradation of the drug diclofenac in water by sonolysis in presence of catalysts. , 2008, Chemosphere.

[3]  C. Pétrier,et al.  Incidence of wave-frequency on the reaction rates during ultrasonic wastewater treatment , 1997 .

[4]  S. Esplugas,et al.  Sulfamethoxazole abatement by photo-Fenton toxicity, inhibition and biodegradability assessment of intermediates. , 2007, Journal of hazardous materials.

[5]  C. Sonntag,et al.  The Elucidation of Peroxyl Radical Reactions in Aqueous Solution with the Help of Radiation‐Chemical Methods , 1991 .

[6]  C. Pulgarin,et al.  Ultrasonic cavitation applied to the treatment of bisphenol A. Effect of sonochemical parameters and analysis of BPA by-products. , 2008, Ultrasonics sonochemistry.

[7]  N. Ince,et al.  Ultrasonic destruction of bisphenol-A: the operating parameters. , 2008, Ultrasonics sonochemistry.

[8]  K. O’Shea,et al.  Ultrasonically induced degradation of 2-methylisoborneol and geosmin. , 2007, Water research.

[9]  K. Fent,et al.  Ecotoxicology of human pharmaceuticals. , 2006, Aquatic toxicology.

[10]  T. Mason,et al.  Oxygen-induced concurrent ultrasonic degradation of volatile and non-volatile aromatic compounds. , 2007, Ultrasonics sonochemistry.

[11]  N. Serpone,et al.  Ultrasonic Induced Dehalogenation and Oxidation of 2-, 3-, and 4-Chlorophenol in Air-Equilibrated Aqueous Media. Similarities with Irradiated Semiconductor Particulates , 1994 .

[12]  C. Wakeford,et al.  Effect of ionic strength on the acoustic generation of nitrite, nitrate and hydrogen peroxide , 1999 .

[13]  C. Pulgarin,et al.  A comparative study of ultrasonic cavitation and Fenton's reagent for bisphenol A degradation in deionised and natural waters. , 2007, Journal of hazardous materials.

[14]  S. Esplugas,et al.  Photocatalytic degradation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with TiO2 and simulated solar irradiation. , 2008, Water research.

[15]  E. Psillakis,et al.  Photocatalytic degradation of reactive black 5 in aqueous solutions: Effect of operating conditions and coupling with ultrasound irradiation. , 2007, Water research.

[16]  Suslick,et al.  Ultrasound-enhanced reactivity of calcium in the reduction of aromatic hydrocarbons , 2000, Ultrasonics sonochemistry.

[17]  A. Mujumdar,et al.  Sonochemical decomposition of volatile and non-volatile organic compounds--a comparative study. , 2004, Water research.

[18]  A. B. Pandit,et al.  Sonophotochemical destruction of aqueous solution of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. , 1998, Ultrasonics sonochemistry.

[19]  Timothy J. Mason,et al.  Quantifying sonochemistry: Casting some light on a ‘black art’ , 1992 .

[20]  I. Hua,et al.  Enhanced sonochemical decomposition of 1,4-dioxane by ferrous iron. , 2003, Water research.

[21]  C Miège,et al.  Removal efficiency of pharmaceuticals and personal care products with varying wastewater treatment processes and operating conditions - conception of a database and first results. , 2008, Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research.

[22]  A. Wilhelm,et al.  Oxidative degradation of phenol in aqueous media using ultrasound , 1994 .

[23]  C. Pulgarin,et al.  Bisphenol A mineralization by integrated ultrasound-UV-iron (II) treatment. , 2007, Environmental science & technology.

[24]  A. Henglein,et al.  Sonochemistry : historical developments and modern aspects , 1987 .