The presence of anti-cancer drugs
in European surface waters appeals
for the development of novel treatment processes. In this work, light
emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit light at 255 nm (UV-C) and 365 nm
(UV-A) wavelengths were compared in terms of their ability to degrade
four anti-cancer drugs by UV and UV/TiO2 processes. None
of treatments tested was able to degrade cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide.
Nevertheless, etoposide and paclitaxel were successfully eliminated
by UV-C and UV-C/TiO2. Moreover, higher energetic yields
were obtained with UV-C light for the degradation of anti-cancer drugs
by photocatalysis than with UV-A. The option of using this treatment
to deal with pollution at the source by performing essays in synthetic
urine was shown to be not adequate, as drug photocatalysis was totally
inhibited by the presence of radical scavenger species present in
the urine matrix.
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