ABSTRACT
The operating parameters of photolytic and photocatalytic reaction processes directly affect the efficiency in the degradation of compounds. In particular, pH is a variable that needs to be considered as it exerts great influence on adsorption, absorption, solubility, among others. This study describes the application of the photolytic process, at different pHs, in the degradation of different pharmaceutical compounds. Photolytic reactions were performed with the following contaminants: acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), ibuprofen (IBP) and paracetamol (PAR). In addition, a comparison was performed using the commercial catalyst P25. The results indicated a great influence of the pH in the kinetic constant of the photodegradation and in the UV absorbance of the species. In particular, the degradation of ASA and PAR were favored with the reduction of pH, while the degradation of IBU and SA were favored by increasing. Also, the chromatograms indicated that pH may affect the by-products formed. In comparison, the photocatalysis process in the presence of P25 proved to be much more effective, but it was not possible to achieve complete mineralization of the compounds.
ABSTRACT
In the present work, the performance of Ag/ZnO/CoFe2O4 magnetic photocatalysts in the photocatalytic degradation of ibuprofen (IBP) was evaluated. This study considered the use of pure Ag/ZnO (5% Ag) and also the use of the Ag/ZnO/CoFe2O4 magnetic catalysts containing different amounts (5, 10 and 15% wt) of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4). The catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoacoustic spectroscopy. To carry out the photocatalytic degradation reaction, different concentrations of the ibuprofen contaminant solution (10, 20 and 30 ppm) and different concentrations of photocatalyst were tested (0.3 g L-1, 0.5 g L-1 and 1.0 g L-1). The reaction parameters studied were: IBP concentration, catalyst concentration, adsorption and photolysis, influence of the matrix, radiation source (solar and artificial) and the effect of organic additive. At the end of the photocatalytic tests, the best operating conditions were defined. Considering the obtained results of degradation efficiency and magnetic separation, the optimal parameters selected to proceed with the other tests of the study were: ibuprofen solution concentration 10 ppm, Ag/ZnO/CoFe2O4 (5%) catalyst at a concentration of 0.3 g L-1 and pH 4.5 of the reaction medium. The results indicated the feasibility of magnetic separation of the synthesized catalysts. A long duration test indicated that the catalyst exhibits stability throughout the degradation reaction, as more than 80% of IBP was degraded after 300 minutes. The photocatalytic activity was directly affected by the ferrite load. The higher the nominal load of ferrite, the lower the performance in IBP degradation. It was also observed that the smallest amount of ferrite studied was enough for the catalyst to be recovered and reused. The adsorption and photolysis tests did not show significant results in the IBP degradation. In addition, it was possible to verify that the aqueous matrix, the use of solar radiation and the addition of additive (acid formic) were interfered directly in the process. The catalyst reuse tests indicated that it can be recovered and reused at least three times without considerable catalytic activity loss.