Removal of Trimethoprim and 5-Fluorouracil by UV/Persulfate and UV/VUV Persulfate Methods

Abstract

The UV, UV/VUV photolysis and their combination with persulfate (S2O82−) were studied for the elimination of trimethoprim and 5-fluorouracil. Methods were examined in terms of transformation and mineralization rate and the matrix effect. The relative contribution of the direct UV photolysis and radical-based reactions (•OH, SO4•−) were also investigated. Without S2O82−, the efficiency of UV/VUV photolysis highly exceeds that of UV photolysis due to the •OH formation, while in the presence of S2O82−, the dominant reaction partner is SO4•−. However, SO4•−-based methods proved to be efficient for both transformation and mineralization; they are sensitive for the matrix components.

Keywords

• antibiotics
• pharmaceuticals
• wastewater
• persulfate
• energy consumption