Performance of hybrid systems coupling advanced oxidation processes and ultrafiltration for oxytetracycline removal

• Main Author: Jonathan C.Espíndola
• Publication Date: 2019
• Other Authors: Kacper Szymánski, Raquel O. Cristóvão, Adélio Mendes, Vítor Vilar, Sylwia Mozia
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/119482

In this study, the efficiency of three different hybrid systems coupling ultrafiltration (UF) with (i) UVC/H2O2, (ii) UVC/TiO2, and (iii) UVC was evaluated for the treatment of a secondary effluent (SE) from a municipal wastewater treatment plant and a surface water (SW) from Miedwie Lake, both spiked with 5 mg L-1 of oxytetracycline (OTC). A ceramic membrane made of TiO2 was tested. The effect of H2O2 concentration (30 to 120 mg L-1) on the UVC/H2O2-UF system and of P25-TiO2 loading (0.5 to 1.5 g L-1) in suspension on the photocatalytic UVC/TiO2-UF system were investigated. A photonic flux of 5.1 J s(-1) was provided in all systems. The maximum pure water flux (PWF) was 111 L m(-2) h(-1). Adsorption on the photocatalyst particles and/or on the membrane surface was found to be an important contribution for the removal of OTC and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The UF membrane contributed significantly to photocatalyst and pollutants rejection in the photocatalytic membrane reactor (PMR) with the UVC/TiO2 system; whereas when using the UVC/H2O2 process, with the highest H2O2 dose, the membrane effect was negligible. Using SE as reaction matrix in the UVC/ TiO2-UF system with 1.0 g L-1 of TiO2, the complete OTC removal was achieved in 5 h with a mineralization of 49%. For the same reaction period, a DOC removal of 52% was achieved with the UVC/H2O2-UF system (120 mg H2O2 L-1). A similar permeate flux decrease (ca. 40%) was observed in both cases. Furthermore, the highest reduction of permeate flux (60%) was observed when using the UVC-UF system. Using SW as reaction matrix, higher OTC degradation rates and percentage of mineralization were reached for the same reaction period, when compared with SE, due to the lower COD and inorganic salts concentration present in the surface water.