The comparative experimental study has been performed of removal of pharmaceuticals such as paracetamol and ibuprofen from aqueous solution by ozonation and photochemical degradation in several types of reactors. Ozone, oxygen, and hydrogen peroxide were used as oxidizing agents. Heterogeneous photocatalysis was carried out in the presence of anatase type TiO2 catalyst. To determine the amount of radiation emitted by the UV lamps and transferred into the reactor, chemical feroxioxalate actinometric experiments were performed. The degree of the pollutant removal was monitored by HPLC, COD, BOD5, and TOC. An ecotoxic biological test of process products with Parachlorella kessleri was also evaluated. The results indicate that the removal of both pharmaceuticals is most effective by heterogeneous photocatalysis. In the UV processes, the degradation rate increased considerably when H2O2 was added. However, the addition of peroxide into the ozonation system improved the ozonation only slightly. All products of the processes tested showed improved biodegradability according to the BOD5/COD ratio and low toxicity to Parachlorella kessleri.

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The aim of this work was to prepare a new biodegradable polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) submicron fiber mat loaded with hypericin-rich Hypericum perforatum raw extract by centrifugal spinning technology, an alternative approach to the traditional method of electrospinning to fabricate nanofibers or microfibers from solutions at high speed and low cost. Hypericins in methanol/acetone extract of H. perforatum were determined by UHPLC-MS/MS and HPLC/PDA. Submicron fiber mats composed of pure PHB or PHB enriched with H. perforatum extract were prepared using a pilot plant demonstrator for the centrifugal spinning technology and characterized by SEM. Singlet oxygen production was quantified by the 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPIBF) method in hexane. The results proved a significant production of singlet oxygen by the prepared submicron fiber mat. We also found a significant antibacterial activity against the bacterial strain Escherichia coli CCM 5417 by a method in accordance with JIS Z 2801/ISO 22196 standards. The H. perforatum extract-enriched PHB submicron fiber mats showed potential for the development of self-cleaning and antimicrobial air filters.

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