Heterogeneous photosensitization for water reuse in cellars: evaluation of silica, spongin, and chitosan as carrier material

Photosensitization, a powerful oxidation reaction, offers significant potential for wastewater treatment in the context of industrial process water reuse. This environmentally friendly process can be crucial in reducing water consumption and industrial pollution. The ultimate goal is to complete process water reuse, creating a closed-loop system that preserves the inherent value of water resources. The photosensitized oxidation reaction hinges on three essential components: the photosensitizer, visible light, and oxygen. In this study, we assess the performance of three distinct materials-silica, chitosan, and spongin-as carrier materials for incorporating the phthalocyanine photosensitizer (ZnPcS4) in the heterogenous photosensitization process. Among the three materials under study, chitosan emerged as the standout performer in reactor hydrodynamic performance. In the photooxidation process, the photosensitizer ZnPcS4 exhibited notable efficacy, resulting in a significant reduction of approximately 20 to 30% in the remaining COD concentration of the cellar wastewater. Chitosan demonstrated exceptional hydrodynamic characteristics and displayed a favorable response to pH adjustments within the range of 8 to 10, outperforming the other two carrier materials. To further enhance the efficiency of continuous operation, exploring methods for mitigating photosensitizer bleaching within the reaction medium and investigating the impact of different pH values on the process optimization would be prudent.

TPPS4—Sensitized Photooxidation of Micropollutants—Singlet Molecular Oxygen Kinetic Study

Visible light-sensitized oxidation of micropollutants (MPs) in the presence of meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin photosensitizers was studied. In order to explore the role of type I (ROS generation) or type II (singlet oxygen) photooxidation, radical scavengers were used to obtain insight into the mechanism of photodegradation. It was revealed that singlet oxygen is the main ROS taking part in TPPS₄- sensitized photooxidation of micropollutants. The interaction of MPs with ¹O₂ in deuterium oxide (D₂O) was investigated by measuring the phosphorescence lifetime of ¹O₂. The rate constant (kq) for the total (physical and chemical) quenching of ¹O₂ by MPs was determined in a D₂O buffer (pD 7, 9 and 10.8). The rate constants of singlet oxygen quenching and reaction with MPs were determined, and the rate constant of excited TPPS₄ quenching by MPs was also estimated.

Does light-based tertiary treatment prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance genes? Performance, regrowth and future direction

The common occurrence of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) originating from pathogenic and facultative pathogenic bacteria pose a high risk to aquatic environments. Low removal of ARGs in conventional wastewater treatment processes and horizontal dissemination of resistance genes between environmental bacteria and human pathogens have made antibiotic resistance evolution a complex global health issue. The phenomenon of regrowth of bacteria after disinfection raised some concerns regarding the long-lasting safety of treated waters. Despite the inactivation of living antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), the possibility of transferring intact and liberated DNA containing ARGs remains. A step in this direction would be to apply new types of disinfection methods addressing this issue in detail, such as light-based advanced oxidation, that potentially enhance the effect of direct light interaction with DNA. This study is devoted to comprehensively and critically review the current state-of-art for light-driven disinfection. The main focus of the article is to provide an insight into the different photochemical disinfection methods currently being studied worldwide with respect to ARGs removal as an alternative to conventional methods. The systematic comparison of UV/chlorination, UV/H₂O₂, sulfate radical based-AOPs, photocatalytic processes and photoFenton considering their mode of action on molecular level, operational parameters of the processes, and overall efficiency of removal of ARGs is presented. An in-depth discussion of different light-dependent inactivation pathways, influence of DBP and DOM on ARG removal and the potential bacterial regrowth after treatment is presented. Based on presented revision the risk of ARG transfer from reactivated bacteria has been evaluated, leading to a future direction for research addressing the challenges of light-based disinfection technologies.

Catalytic ozonation of textile wastewater as a polishing step after industrial scale electrocoagulation

The main objective of this study was to develop the treatment system to change wastewater into a reliable source of recyclable water within the textile plant. Therefore, a highly polluted industrial wastewater originated in the dyeing of cotton was subjected to a multi-step treatment. The raw wastewater was characterized by the concentration of Reactive Black 5, the azo dye, as high as 842 mg/L, extreme alkalinity (pH 11.26) and salinity (NaCl concentration 52,290 mg/L). Correspondingly, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) was equal to 3440 mg/L and the total organic carbon (TOC) was 1790 mg/L in this wastewater. This salty, hardly degradable wastewater underwent the electrocoagulation (EC) on an industrial scale in the first step of the treatment. Although the industrial EC resulted in 84% of color removal in a very short time of 8 min, the wastewater was still characterized by an extremally high absorbance which corresponded to 100 mg/L of RB5. Moreover, EC resulted in the occurrence of burdensome by-products, of which one was identified in this study as an aniline derivative. The by-products contributed to high residual COD and TOC after EC (2120 mg/L and 1052 mg/L, respectively). Consequently, the catalytic ozonation was used by us as a second, the polishing, step of the treatment. The catalytic ozonation was found efficient in the removal of the residual color and colorless by-products. The wastewater after catalytic ozonation was colorless and the final COD and TOC decreased to 1283 and 695 mg/L, respectively. The average oxidation state (AOS), spectra analysis, and the toxicity assay showed catalytic ozonation efficient in the by-products oxidation. Consequently, the catalytic action of activated carbon (AC) was proved for the ozonation of textile wastewater. Ultimately, the recycling of purified wastewater into dyeing resulted in a very good color quality of textile samples (DE_CMC values below limiting value equal to 1.0).

Comparison of radical-driven technologies applied for paraben mixture degradation: mechanism, biodegradability, toxicity and cost assessment

Parabens (esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid) are xenobiosis belonging to endocrine disruptors and commonly used as a preservative in cosmetics, food, pharmaceutical, and personal care products. Their wide use is leading to their appearance in water and wastewater in the range from ng/L to mg/L. In fact, the toxicity of benzylparaben is comparable to bisphenol A. Therefore, it is important to find not only effective but also ecofriendly methods for their removal from aqueous environment since the traditional wastewater treatment approaches are ineffective. Herein, for the first time, such extended comparison of several radical-driven technologies for paraben mixture degradation is presented. The detailed evaluation included (1) comparison of ozone and hydroxyl peroxide processes; (2) comparison of catalytic and photocatalytic processes (including photocatalytic ozonation); (3) characterisation of catalysts using SEM, XRD, DRS, XPS techniques and BET isotherm; (4) mineralisation, biodegradability and toxicity assessment; and (5) cost assessment. O₃, H₂O₂/Fe²⁺, H₂O₂/UVC, O₃/H₂O₂, O₃/UVA, O₃/H₂O₂/UVA, UVA/catalyst, O₃/catalyst and O₃/UVA/catalyst were selected from advanced oxidation processes to degrade parabens as well as to decrease its toxicity towards Aliivibrio fischeri, Corbicula fluminea and Lepidium sativum. Research was focused on the photocatalytic process involving visible light (UVA and natural sunlight) and TiO₂ catalysts modified by different metals (Ag, Pt, Pd, Au). Photocatalytic oxidation showed the lowest efficiency, while in combining ozone with catalysis and photocatalysis process, degradation efficiency and toxicity removal were improved. Photocatalytic ozonation slightly improved degradation efficiency but appreciably decreased transferred ozone dose (TOD). Results indicate that the degradation pathway is different, or different transformation products (TPs) could be formed, despite that the hydroxyl radicals are the main oxidant. Graphical abstract.

TiO2 nanotube arrays-based reactor for photocatalytic oxidation of parabens mixtures in ultrapure water: Effects of photocatalyst properties, operational parameters and light source

Self-organized TiO₂ nanotubes as immobilized photocatalysts were evaluated in detail for the photocatalytic degradation of parabens mixtures from ultrapure water. This kind of approach can be a very suitable option for emerging contaminants degradation considering the possibility of the catalyst reuse and recovery which will be simpler than when catalytic powders are used. The anodization method was applied for the TiO₂ nanotubes production under different preparation voltages (20, 30 and 40 V). These preparation conditions are important on the morphological characteristics of nanotubes such as length, as well as internal and external diameters. The photocatalytic efficiency was dependent on the materials preparation voltages. The photocatalytic oxidation was evaluated using two different irradiation sources, namely UVA and sunlight. These irradiation sources were evaluated for parabens mixture degradation using different number of catalytic plates. The increase of the number of plates improved the parabens degradation possibly due to the availability of more active sites which can be relevant for the hydroxyl radical's generation. The effect of the reactor design was also evaluated using sunlight irradiation. The configuration, position and solar concentrators can be important for the performance of degradation. The mechanism of degradation was analysed through by-products formation under sunlight irradiation. The main responsible for parabens degradation was hydroxyl radical. Decarboxylation, dealkylation and hydroxylation seem to be the most important reactional steps for the mixture decontamination.

Study of the influence of the matrix characteristics over the photocatalytic ozonation of parabens using Ag-TiO2

Parabens are widely used as antimicrobial and preservative in pharmaceutical and personal products. Their presence has been detected in rivers and wastewater treatment plants. Photocatalytic ozonation process using a low amount of 0.1 wt% Ag-TiO₂ proved to be efficient on the degradation of a mixture of five parabens using a low transferred ozone dose (TOD). The pH effect was analyzed under acidic and neutral conditions. Also, the effect of hydroxyl radical scavenger on parabens degradation and on by-products formation was discussed. Hydroxyl radical present a significant role over parabens degradation and also on by-products formation. The reaction mechanism was analyzed using municipal wastewater as a matrix to infer about the behavior of the process at actual conditions. Municipal wastewater as a matrix clearly enhanced the parabens degradation when compared with the case where ultrapure water was used. In fact, the TOD required for total parabens degradation is lowered 10-20 mg/L of TOD. Therefore, to understand the main responsible species for this improvement, the effects of several ions naturally present in wastewater (HCO₃^-, Cl^- and SO₄^2-) were tested. According to the results it seems that sulfate radical improves the process, while chloride and bicarbonate radicals decrease the process efficiency. In terms of toxicity the luminescence inhibition for Vibrio fischeri was analyzed. The inhibition significantly decreased for treated spiked municipal wastewater.

Toxicity of aqueous mixture of phenol and chlorophenols upon photosensitized oxidation initiated by sunlight or vis-lamp

It is well established that aquatic wildlife in marine and freshwater of the European Union is exposed to natural and synthetic endocrine disruptor compounds (EDCs) which are able to interfere with the hormonal system causing adverse effects on the intact physiology of organisms. The traditional wastewater treatment processes are inefficient on the removal of EDCs in low concentration. Moreover, not only the efficiency of treatment must be considered but also toxicological aspects. Taking into account all these aspects, the main goal of the study was to investigate the photochemical decomposition of hazardous phenolic compounds under simulated as well as natural sunlight from the toxicity point of view. The studies were focused on photodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol as well as mixture of phenol, 2-chlorophenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol. Photosensitized oxidation process was carried out in homogeneous and heterogeneous system. V. fischeri luminescence inhibition was used to determine the changes of toxicity in mixture during simulated and natural irradiation. The photodegradation was carried out in three kinds of water matrix; moreover, the influence of presence of inorganic matter on the treatment process was investigated. The experiments with natural sunlight proved applicability of photosensitive chitosan for visible-light water pollutant degradation. The results of toxicity investigation show that using photosensitive chitosan for visible-light, the toxicity of reaction mixture towards V. fischeri has significantly decreased. The EC₅₀ was found to increase over the irradiation time; this increase was not proportional to the transformation of the parent compounds.

Comparison of Photocatalytic and Photosensitized Oxidation of Paraben Aqueous Solutions Under Sunlight

It is well-established that aquatic wildlife is exposed to natural and synthetic endocrine disrupting compounds which are able to interfere with the hormonal system. Although advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have shown to be effective, their application is limited by a relatively high operational cost. In order to reduce the cost of energy consumed in the AOPs, widely available solar energy instead of UV light may be applied either as photocatalytic oxidation or as photosensitized oxidation. The main goal of the present study was to investigate the sunlight photodegradation of paraben mixture. Two processes, namely the photocatalytic oxidation with modified TiO2 nanoparticles and photosensitized oxidation with photosensitive chitosan beads, were applied. The oxidants were identified as singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radicals for photosensitized and photocatalytic oxidation, respectively. The toxicity, as well as ability to water disinfection of both processes under natural sunlight, has been investigated. Application of sunlight for the processes led to degradation of parabens. The efficiency of both processes was comparable. Despite the fact that singlet oxygen is weaker oxidant than hydroxyl radicals, the photosensitized oxidation seems to be more promising for wastewater purification, due to the possibility of chitosan bead reuse and more effective water disinfection. Graphical Abstractᅟ.

Biofiltration using C. fluminea for E.coli removal from water: Comparison with ozonation and photocatalytic oxidation

Corbicula fluminea, an Asian clam, is one of the worst invasive species in Europe that can survive in very adverse environmental conditions. Despite its negative impacts, the species also has the capacity to bioaccumulate heavy metals, contaminants and can be exploited for wastewater treatment purposes. The capacity of the Asian clam to remove Escherichia coli, used as fecal contamination indicator, was analyzed. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are not suitable to remove bacteria, thus resulting in treated municipal wastewater with high bacterial loads. E. coli clearance rate was analyzed as function of the number of clams. The bivalves can remove bacteria until concentrations below the detection limit in about 6 h. The adsorption on the clam shells' and bioaccumulation on the soft tissues were also analyzed. The depuration of clams along 48 h were analyzed revealing that no bacteria was detected in the water. Thus, these results suggest that Asian clam can bioprocess E. coli. On the other hand, results obtained by this methodology were compared with ozonation and photocatalytic oxidation using TiO₂, Ag, Au, Pd-TiO₂. In all treatments it was possible to achieve concentrations of E. coli below the detection limit. However, photocatalytic oxidation demands about 4700 folds more energy than ozonation, besides the costs associated with catalysts. Comparing complexity of ozonation with biofiltration, this study suggests that application of biofiltration using C. fluminea can be a suitable solution to minimize the presence of bacteria in wastewater, reducing environmental and economic impacts.

The photosensitized oxidation of mixture of parabens in aqueous solution

The work presents results of studies on the photosensitized oxidation of mixture of five parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, n-butyl-, and benzylparaben) in aqueous solution. Aluminum phthalocyanine chloride tetrasulfonic acid and xenon lamp simulating solar radiation were used as a photosensitizer and a light source, respectively. The purpose was to investigate the influence of inhibitory effect compounds present in the mixture on the reaction rate. The influence of the addition of second photosensitizer on the parabens degradation rate was investigated. The effect of additives: tert-butanol - hydroxyl radical scavenger and sodium azide - singlet oxygen scavenger on reaction course was also determined. The transformation products formed during the photosensitized oxidation process were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. The efficiency of photosensitized oxidation of parabens with natural sunlight irradiation in the central Poland was checked.

Photocatalytic ozonation using doped TiO2 catalysts for the removal of parabens in water

Conventional wastewater treatments are inefficient for the removal of parabens. The aim of this study was finding a suitable solution using ozone and UVA irradiation combined with TiO₂ catalysts doped with different noble metals (Ag, Pt, Pd, Au). Photocatalytic ozonation required lower amounts of ozone for higher efficiency on the removal of parabens, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC). The best catalyst for the initial contaminants degradation was 0.5% Ag-TiO₂ leading to total parabens removal using 46mgO₃/L. Due to the relative low mineralization achieved, the toxicity of the treated solutions was still compared with the initial one over several species (Vibrio fischeri, Lepidium sativum and Corbicula fluminea). All the treatments applied led to a clear decrease on the toxicity compared with initial mixture of parabens. From an economical point of view, it was concluded that the presence of UVA irradiation increased the energy consumption compared with catalytic ozonation with these catalysts but it can decrease the time of reaction. From the by-products analysis, it was concluded that hydroxylation appears to be the most significant reaction pathway and the main responsible for parabens degradation.

Influence of ozonation and biodegradation on toxicity of industrial textile wastewater

The textile industry demands huge volumes of high quality water which converts into wastewater contaminated by wide spectrum of chemicals. Estimation of textile wastewater influence on the aquatic systems is a very important issue. Therefore, closing of the water cycle within the factories is a promising method of decreasing its environmental impact as well as operational costs. Taking both reasons into account, the aim of this work was to establish the acute toxicity of the textile wastewater before and after separate chemical, biological as well as combined chemical-biological treatment. For the first time the effects of three different combinations of chemical and biological methods were investigated. The acute toxicity analysis were evaluated using the Microtox^® toxicity test. Ozonation in two reactors of working volume 1 dm³ (stirred cell) and 20 dm³ (bubble column) were tested as chemical process, while biodegradation was conducted in two, different systems - Sequence Batch Reactors (SBR; working volume 1.5 dm³) and Horizontal Continuous Flow Bioreactor (HCFB; working volume 12 dm³). The untreated wastewater had the highest toxicity (EC50 value in range: 3-6%). Ozonation caused lower reduction of the toxicity than biodegradation. In the system with SBR the best results were obtained for the biodegradation followed by the ozonation and additional biodegradation - 96% of the toxicity removal. In the second system (with HCFB) two-stage treatment (biodegradation followed by the ozonation) led to the highest toxicity reduction (98%).

Decomposition of xenobiotics during visible light irradiation in the presence of immobilised photosensitisers: kinetics study

The objective of this work was to study the photosensitised oxidation of the xenobiotics benzylparaben (BeP) and 2,4dichlorophenol (2,4DCP) in aqueous solutions using photosensitisers immobilised into chitosan carrier particles and visible light radiation. Zn(II) phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate tetrasodium salt and Al(III) phthalocyanine chloride tetrasulfonic acid were used as photosensitisers. The major role of the singlet oxygen during photodegradation was proven by using scavengers of reactive oxygen species. The influence of initial xenobiotic concentration and temperature on degradation rate was examined. The investigations were focused on kinetics (Langmuir-Hinshelwood model) as well as activation energy determination. Moreover, the adsorption isotherms of BeP and 2,4DCP into chitosan carrier were determined using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller model.

Application of Fenton oxidation to reduce the toxicity of mixed parabens

The aims of the present work were to assess the application of a chemical process to degrade a mixture of parabens and determine the influence of a natural river water matrix on toxicity. Model effluents containing either a single compound, namely methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, benzylparaben or p-hydroxybenzoic acid, or to mimic realistic conditions a mixture of the six compounds was used. Fenton process was applied to reduce the organic charge and toxic properties of the model effluents. The efficiency of the decontamination has been investigated using a chemical as well as a toxicological approach. The potential reduction of the effluents' toxicity after Fenton treatment was evaluated by assessing (i) Vibrio fischeri luminescence inhibition, (ii) lethal effects amongst freshwater Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea), and (iii) the impact on mammalian neuronal activity using brain slices. From the environmental point of view such a broad toxicity analysis has been performed for the first time. The results indicate that Fenton reaction is an effective method for the reduction of chemical oxygen demand of a mixture of parabens and their toxicity to V. fischeri and C. fluminea. However, no important differences were found between raw and treated samples in regard to mammalian neuronal activity.

Phototransformation of sulfamethoxazole under simulated sunlight: Transformation products and their antibacterial activity toward Vibrio fischeri

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is a bacteriostatic antibiotic ubiquitously found in the aquatic environment. Since conventional biological wastewater treatment is not efficient to remove SMX, photolysis in natural waters can represent an important transformation pathway. It was recently shown that SMX transformation products can retain antibiotic activity. Therefore, it is crucial to better understand photochemical processes occurring in natural water just as the formation of active transformation products (TPs). During long-term SMX photolysis experiments (one week), nine TPs were identified by reference standards. Moreover, five further TPs of photodecomposition of SMX were found. For the first time, a TP with m/z 271 [M+H](+) was observed during photolysis and tentatively confirmed as 4,x-dihydroxylated SMX. The DOC mass balance clearly showed that only around 5 to 10% were mineralized during the experiment emphasizing the need to elucidate the fate of TPs. Bacterial bioassays confirmed that the mixture retains its antibiotic toxicity toward luminescence (24h) and that there is no change over the treatment time on EC50. In contrast, growth inhibition activity was found to slightly decrease over the irradiation time. However, this decrease was not proportional to the transformation of the parent compound SMX.

Influence of dissolved organic matter in natural and simulated water on the photochemical decomposition of butylparaben

BACKGROUND

In the last few decades the quality of natural water has often deteriorated as a variety of novel pollutants have contaminated rivers and lakes. Trace amounts of some man-made chemicals can be hazardous to plants, animals as well as human health as carcinogens, mutagens or endocrine disruptors. Light radiation may help in its decomposition, aided by naturally occurring colored organic compounds (humic substances) in the water. The aim of these studies was to check the influence of presence of organic and inorganic matter on the removal of endocrine disrupting compound - butylparaben (BP) from water.

METHODS

Photochemical decomposition of BP in aqueous solution using: photolysis by ultraviolet-C (UVC) and visible (VIS) irradiation, advanced oxidation in H2O2/UV system and photosensitized oxidation was examined. The degradation processes were carried out in different type of water matrix: natural water from Sulejow Reservoir, simulated natural water with humic acids and buffered solution.

RESULTS

The presence of dissolved organic matter in water did not influence much on UVC photolysis and increases only about 8% of BP depletion rate in H2O2/UV system. While during visible light photolysis and photosensitized oxidation the addition of natural water matrix causes the acceleration of reaction rate by 16% and 36%, respectively. Moreover BP degradation proceeds via singlet oxygen generated from humic substances.

CONCLUSIONS

Butylparaben undergoes both direct and indirect photodegradation in aqueous solution under UVC and visible radiation. The efficiency of the H2O2/UV process, photolysis as well as photosensitized oxidation processes is strongly dependent on composition of the water.