Ozonation of Selected Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products in Secondary Effluent—Degradation Kinetics and Environmental Assessment
Fátima Jesus,
Eva Domingues,
Carla Bernardo,
Joana L. Pereira,
Rui C. Martins,
João Gomes
Affiliations
Fátima Jesus
Department of Environment and Planning, CESAM—Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Eva Domingues
CIEPQPF—Chemical Engineering Processes and Forest Products Research Center, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal
Carla Bernardo
CIEPQPF—Chemical Engineering Processes and Forest Products Research Center, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal
Joana L. Pereira
Department of Biology, CESAM—Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Rui C. Martins
CIEPQPF—Chemical Engineering Processes and Forest Products Research Center, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal
João Gomes
CIEPQPF—Chemical Engineering Processes and Forest Products Research Center, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal
The efficiency of ozonation depends on the water matrix and the reaction time. Herein, these factors were addressed by assessing the removal of five pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) by ozonation. The main aims were: (i) to assess the effects of the water matrix on the degradation kinetics of PPCPs, individually and in mixture, following ozonation; and (ii) to assess the ecotoxicological impact of the ozone reaction time on the treatment of a spiked municipal wastewater (MW) added the five PPCPs over several species. The degradation of the PPCPs was faster in ultrapure water, with all PPCPs being removed in 20 min, whereas in the MW, a 30 min ozonation period was required to achieve a removal close to 100%. Increasing the number of PPCPs in the water matrix did not affect the time required for their removal in the MW. Regarding the ecotoxicity assessment, Raphidocelis subcapitata and Daphnia magna were the least sensitive species, whereas Lemna minor was the most sensitive. The temporal variation of the observed effects corroborates the degradation of the added PPCPs and the formation of toxic degradation by-products. The removal of the parent compounds did not guarantee decreased hazardous potential to biological species.
