Behavior of Mebendazole during NF/RO Adsorption and Photolysis

Abstract

The idea of using drugs from the benzimidazole group as potential antitumor agents is becoming increasingly popular and widespread in research. However, their use as antiparasitics and in cancer treatment will increase their already recorded occurrence in the aquatic environment. In this study, the removal of the anthelmintic mebendazole from aqueous solution was investigated using nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes, adsorption on granular activated carbon (GAC), and photolytic degradation. The dense NF90 and reverse osmosis XLE membranes showed almost complete removal (>97.7%), while the NF270 membrane showed a large dependence of removal on initial concentration from 41.9% to 96.6%. Adsorption in the column resulted in complete removal of mebendazole at the highest GAC height used (40 cm) from the solution with the lowest concentration (1 mg/L). Photolytic degradation by artificial light for 2 and 12 h resulted in photodegradation of mebendazole in the range of 23.5–61.4%, forming a new degradation or transformation compound with an m/z ratio of 311. Mebendazole is a photosensitive drug whose photodegradation follows first-order kinetics and depends on the drug concentration. Toxicity was studied with Vibrio fischeri before and after photolysis, and showed a decrease in inhibition after 12 h.

Use of Simulated Sunlight Radiation and Hydrogen Peroxide to Remove Xenobiotics from Aqueous Solutions

“…HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS were used to analyze pesticide removal. The analysis and quantification of a portion of the samples was performed with an HPLC-DAD Varian ProStar 500 (Palo Alto, CA, USA) as described in Babić et al [31]. An InertSustain C18 column (GL Sciences, Tokyo, Japan) was used for the analysis.…”

“…Toxicity tests were performed according to the standard bioluminescent method ISO 11348-1 [32] using fresh Vibrio fischeri bacteria; the method was previously described in the paper by Babić et al [31]. Lyophilized bacteria were obtained from Hach Lange (Luminiscent bacteria test LCK 484, Düsseldorf, Germany) and a fresh bacterial mass was prepared from them on a microbial growth medium.…”