Sulfamethoxazole removal in membrane-photocatalytic reactor system – experimentation and modelling

Abstract

In this study, the efficacy of membrane-photocatalytic reactor (MPR) in sulfamethoxazole (SMX) removal was explored at a fixed initial SMX concentration, i.e. 100 mg/L. A supported catalyst, i.e. TiO on granular activated carbon (GAC-TiO), was used for MPR experiments. The SMX removal efficiency of the MPR was investigated under a range of hydraulic retention time (i.e. HRT from 51 to 152.5 min) and TiO catalyst dosage (55-50 mg/L). A maximum SMX removal efficiency of 83.6% was observed under 220 mg/L catalyst dosage and 80 min HRT. The increase in catalyst dosage from 55 to 550 mg/L has increased the transmembrane pressure of the reactor from 9.8 to 22.2 kPa. A multiple non-linear regression model was developed based on the experimental data and its significance was analyzed using two-way ANOVA. Based on the model, the optimal HRT and catalyst dosage for complete SMX removal (100%) were found out. The comparison of photocatalytic degradation experiments with sorption experiments conducted earlier revealed that SMX removal in the MPR was mainly by photocatalytic degradation and not by adsorption onto GAC-TiO catalyst. However, the performance of MPR in removing other emerging pollutants from real-time wastewaters could be explored before its field-scale application.

Research on Photocatalytic Wastewater Treatment Reactors: Design, Optimization, and Evaluation Criteria

“…Comparing the experimental data with the prediction results, it is found that the model has a good prediction effect [168]. In order to study the effects of hydraulic retention time and photocatalyst dosage on the degradation effect of sulfamethoxazole in membrane photocatalytic reactor systems, Asha et al established a multiple nonlinear regression model based on experimental data, which effectively predicted the optimal hydraulic residence time and photocatalyst dosage in membrane photocatalytic reactor systems [169]. For parameters such as irradiation uniformity and reactor structure that are not easy to quantify, software simulation is a valuable tool to optimize.…”

Sonophotocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole using lanthanum ferrite perovskite oxide anchored on an ultrasonically exfoliated porous graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet

“…SMX residues in surface and ground waters can be harmful to both fauna and ora, making it necessary to nd an effective and economical technology for its removal as the current water treatment system is not equipped to handle this problem. 7,8 Various methods have been employed to eliminate SMX from water, including ltration, 9 membrane ltration, 10 adsorption, 11 electrochemical catalysis, 12 sonolysis, 13 coagulation, 14 biodegradation, 15 photocatalysis, 16 ozonation, 17 and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). 18,19 Recently, AOPs such as photocatalysis and sonocatalysis have been receiving much attention owing to their advantage of being able to convert organic water pollutants to low molecular weight substances and the fact that they have proven to be more efficient in eliminating pollutants due to their synergistic effect.…”