Studies on the Application of PGM Nanocatalysts from Spent Automotive Converters for Degradation of Ibuprofen in Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

There is an increasing concern about the presence of various types of pharmaceuticals in drinking water, as long-term exposure of people to even low concentrations of drugs can lead to many problems, such as endocrine disorders or drug resistance. As the removal in sewage treatment plants is not effective enough, as indicated, among others, by the EC and OECD reports, it is justified to search for new materials that will allow for an effective and rapid reduction of these pollutants in water. Therefore, in our work, catalytically active nanomaterials containing platinum group metals (PGMs) were synthesized from model and real multicomponent solutions and examined in reactions of organic compounds. The nanoparticles (NPs) were obtained from real solutions from the hydrometallurgical processing of spent automotive converters (SACs), and to the best of our knowledge, the novelty of the proposed paper is the application of solutions from SAC processing as precursors for PGM–NPs. The synthesized PGM–NPs were deposited on a support (TiO2), characterized and, finally, examined as nanocatalysts in a degradation reaction of ibuprofen (IB) from model aqueous solutions. The degree of IB degradation reached more than 90%. The main products of IB degradation were p-isobutylphenol and CO2.