Peracetic Acid vs. Sodium Hypochlorite: Degradation and Transformation of Drugs in Wastewater

Abstract

Numerous substances from different chemical sectors, from the pharmaceutical industry to the many consumer products available for everyday usage, can find their way into water intended for human consumption and wastewater, and can have adverse effects on the environment and human health. Thus, the disinfection process is an essential stage in water and wastewater treatment plants to destroy pathogenic microorganisms but it can form degradation byproducts. Sodium hypochlorite is the most common disinfectant, but the most important drawback associated with this kind of compound is the generation of toxic disinfection byproducts. Many studies have been carried out to identify alternative disinfectants, and in the last few years, peracetic acid has been highlighted as a feasible solution, particularly in wastewater treatment. This study compares the transformations of five emerging pollutants (caffeine, tramadol, irbesartan, diclofenac, trazodone) treated with peracetic acid, to evaluate their degradation and the possible formation of byproducts with those obtained with sodium hypochlorite. Although peracetic acid has many advantages, including a wide field of use against microorganisms and a low toxicity towards animal and plant organisms, it is not as effective in the degradation of the considered pollutants. These ones are recovered substantially and are unchanged quantitatively, producing a very low number of byproducts.

LC and NMR Studies for Identification and Characterization of Degradation Byproducts of Olmesartan Acid, Elucidation of Their Degradation Pathway and Ecotoxicity Assessment

“…The advanced oxidation processes while being effective in the removal of micropollutants, if not carried out properly, can lead to the formation of intermediate reaction products, often more toxic than the starting compounds [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ].…”

Amoxicillin in Water: Insights into Relative Reactivity, Byproduct Formation, and Toxicological Interactions during Chlorination

“…Although the treatment processes used in the plants shows high AMO removals [26][27][28], even if the percentage of removal depends on the duration of the treatment [29], at the same time, they have the disadvantage of increasing effluent toxicity and producing its transformation compounds, which may be more toxic than the product from which they derive [30]. As a consequence, WWTP effluents and the practice of reusing sewage sludge in agriculture to recover nitrogen compounds useful for soil fertilization can contribute to its introduction into water bodies and its diffusion in the terrestrial environment of the degradation byproducts (DPs) of the drug [31][32][33][34]. Humans can be exposed to DPs through the consumption of aquatic organisms, agricultural products, or drinking water.…”

Durability Assessment of a Plasma-Polymerized Coating with Anti-Biofilm Activity against L. monocytogenes Subjected to Repeated Sanitization

“…As a result, efforts have been made to reduce the use this sanitizer or replace it with other antibacterial approaches [10,11]. In this regard, peracetic acid is a widely used alternative in the food industry because it has significant bactericidal effects and it does not generate chlorinated by-products [12,13].…”