Electrochemical Oxidation of Anastrozole over a BDD Electrode: Role of Operating Parameters and Water Matrix

Abstract

The electrochemical oxidation (EO) of the breast-cancer drug anastrozole (ANZ) is studied in this work. The role of various operating parameters, such as current density (6.25 and 12.5 mA cm−2), pH (3–10), ANZ concentration (0.5–2 mg L−1), nature of supporting electrolytes, water composition, and water matrix, have been evaluated. ANZ removal of 82.4% was achieved at 1 mg L−1 initial concentration after 90 min of reaction at 6.25 mA cm−2 and 0.1 M Na2SO4. The degradation follows pseudo-first-order kinetics with the apparent rate constant, kapp, equal to 0.022 min−1. The kapp increases with increasing current density and decreasing solution pH. The addition of chloride in the range 0–250 mg L−1 positively affects the removal of ANZ. However, chloride concentrations above 250 mg L−1 have a detrimental effect. The presence of bicarbonate or organic matter has a slightly negative but not significant effect on the process. The EO of ANZ is compared to its degradation by solar photo-Fenton, and a preliminary economic analysis is also performed.

Use of Electrooxidation as a Polishing Step for the Residual Water Obtained in a Solar Wastewater Treatment

“…In previous reports authors have noted that pollutant removal increases when the pH is changed to acidic conditions, better results are observed when changing pH from 6.2 to 3. This phenomenon is due to the formation of •OH radicals on the surface of the BDD electrode which are favored in an acidic environment [33].…”