Removal of Paracetamol from Aqueous Solutions by Photocatalytic Ozonation over TiO<sub>2</sub>-Me<sub>x</sub>O<sub>y</sub> Thin Films
Sorin Marius Avramescu,
Irina Fierascu,
Radu Claudiu Fierascu,
Roxana Ioana Brazdis,
Angel Vasile Nica,
Claudia Butean,
Elena Alina Olaru,
Sorin Ulinici,
Marian Nicolae Verziu,
Anca Dumitru
Affiliations
Sorin Marius Avramescu
Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania
Irina Fierascu
Emerging Nanotechnologies Group, National Institute for Research & Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
Radu Claudiu Fierascu
Emerging Nanotechnologies Group, National Institute for Research & Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
Roxana Ioana Brazdis
Emerging Nanotechnologies Group, National Institute for Research & Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
Angel Vasile Nica
PROTMED Research Centre, University of Bucharest, 050107 Bucharest, Romania
Claudia Butean
Department of Chemistry and Biology, North University Centre of Baia Mare, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 430122 Baia Mare, Romania
Elena Alina Olaru
PROTMED Research Centre, University of Bucharest, 050107 Bucharest, Romania
Sorin Ulinici
S.C. ICPE Bistrita S.A, 420035 Bistrita, Romania
Marian Nicolae Verziu
Department of Bioresources and Polymer Science, Advanced Polymer Materials Group, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 1-7 Gh Polizu Street, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Anca Dumitru
Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, 077125 Magurele, Romania
Analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as paracetamol, diclofenac, and ibuprofen are frequently encountered in surface and ground water, thereby posing a significant risk to aquatic ecosystems. Our study reports the catalytic performances of nanosystems TiO2-MexOy (Me = Ce, Sn) prepared by the sol-gel method and deposited onto glass slides by a dip-coating approach in the removal of paracetamol from aqueous solutions by catalytic ozonation. The effect of catalyst type and operation parameters on oxidation efficiency was assessed. In addition to improving this process, the present work simplifies it by avoiding the difficult step of catalyst separation. It was found that the thin films were capable of removing all pollutants from target compounds to the oxidation products.
