Electrochemical remediation of industrial pharmaceutical wastewater containing hormones in a pilot scale treatment system

Abstract

The elimination of residual drugs from pharmaceutical and domestic sources is a growing concern, as they are able to reach water and soil resources and can present environmental and health risks even in very low concentrations. Traditional water and wastewater treatment systems have not been efficient in the removal of these compounds, evidencing the importance of the development of new remediation methods. In view of the applicability and versatility of electrocoagulation techniques in the removal of pollutants, the aim of this work is to evaluate the parameters: biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), color, turbidity, algestone acetophenide (AAc) and estradiol enanthate (EEn) using a pilot treatment system, as well as phytotoxicity and Brine shrimp toxicity. The study showed good removal efficiency, comprising remarkable remediation performance assayed through BOD (61.5%), COD (58.6%), color (83.1%), turbidity (96.7%), AAc (77.0%) and EEn (56.7%) after 30 minutes. For toxicity, raw effluent was considered more phytotoxic for lettuce and cucumber seeds when compared to treated effluent. The results suggest that the pilot prototype was promising, providing an increase in both the germination potential and the root growth of the seeds (Lactuca sativa and Cucumis sativus) and a significant decrease in the acute toxicity to Artemia salina.

Exploring the potential of highly efficient graphite/chitosan–PVC composite electrodes in the electrochemical degradation of Reactive Red 4

“…S10(b) shows the presence of several new peaks at 2⊔ values of 22.6°and 31.6°which corresponded to RR4 (PDF 00-036-1788) and NaCl (PDF 00-005-0628), respectively, owing to the electrolysis of RR4 in NaCl solution. 64 Seed germination test Morais et al 65 described the importance of phytotoxicity studies using plants in ecotoxicological assessments because plants are the basis of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and act as primary producers in the food chain. 65 In recent years, several studies have focused on phytotoxicity studies using seed germination and root elongation tests to evaluate the toxicity of electrochemically treated wastewater.…”

“…64 Seed germination test Morais et al 65 described the importance of phytotoxicity studies using plants in ecotoxicological assessments because plants are the basis of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and act as primary producers in the food chain. 65 In recent years, several studies have focused on phytotoxicity studies using seed germination and root elongation tests to evaluate the toxicity of electrochemically treated wastewater. [65][66][67][68] Accordingly, a phytotoxicity study was performed using the seed germination test to determine the toxicity of untreated and treated RR4 wastewater, following electrolysis at optimum parameters.…”

“…65 In recent years, several studies have focused on phytotoxicity studies using seed germination and root elongation tests to evaluate the toxicity of electrochemically treated wastewater. [65][66][67][68] Accordingly, a phytotoxicity study was performed using the seed germination test to determine the toxicity of untreated and treated RR4 wastewater, following electrolysis at optimum parameters. Green beans were used as plant models and the root and shoot lengths were measured after 14 days' exposure to the water samples.…”

Exploring Cheminformatic Toolsets for Predicting the Dermal Toxicity of Furanocoumarins

“…In any case, most authors support that LF physicochemical features are of utmost importance to their effects, being structural characteristics like the condensed aromatic system often hinted as pharmacophores in both natural and synthetic components [29,[49][50][51][52], hence particular physicochemical and pharmacological attributes [53][54][55]. Moreover, this core moiety confers enough lipophilicity to these chemicals to allow their diffusion through the skin and cross other biological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier [56].…”

Enzyme-Based Electrochemical Biosensors for Microfluidic Platforms to Detect Pharmaceutical Residues in Wastewater

“…Consequently, the world has witnessed a growing scarcity of potable water and a decrease of aquatic biodiversity. A number of treatment processes have been devised to tackle these issues, which are mainly based on a proper determination of physicochemical parameters, the presence of microorganisms, and the possible uses of the recovered waste [1,2,3,4]. A complete characterization of polluted water resources is still elusive mainly due to the absence of tools for in situ, rapid, and sensitive monitoring of field samples.…”