Toxicity Assessment and Treatment Options of Diclofenac and Triclosan Dissolved in Water

Abstract

The presence of pharmaceutical and personal care products in water is increasing tremendously nowadays. Typical representatives are diclofenac (DCF) and triclosan (TCS). Acute toxicity of these substances was experimentally assessed using the freshwater algae Raphidocelis subcapitata (living, immobilized). The IC50 achieved for R. subcapitata was 177.7–189.1 mg·L−1 for DCF and 5.4–17.2 µg·L−1 for TCS, whereas, regarding DCF, the results corresponded to the values observed by other authors. Concerning TCS, the results were lower than predicted and indicated TCSs’ higher toxicity. The immobilized R. subcapitata showed comparable results with its living culture for DCF only. Regarding K2Cr2O7 and TCS, the immobilized alga was more sensitive. The DCF and TCF removal from water was tested by sorption, photocatalytic and photolytic processes. TiO2 was used as a photocatalyst. Norit and SuperSorbon were used as sorbents based on activated charcoal. The DCF decomposition achieved by both photo-processes was very fast. The starting concentration fell below the detection limit in less than one minute, while bioluminescence on Aliivibrio fischeri showed no toxic intermediates formed only in the case of photocatalysis. DCF and TCS removals by sorption were significantly faster on Norit than SuperSorbon, while the bioluminescence inhibition remained insignificant.