Enhanced Naproxen Elimination in Water by Catalytic Ozonation Based on NiO Films

Abstract

This study evaluates naproxen (NP) degradation efficiency by ozonation using nickel oxide films (NiO(F)) as a catalyst. The NiO films were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. NP degradation was conducted for 5 min using 10 films of NiO(F) comparing against ozonation using 100 mg/L NiO powder in suspension (NiO(S)) and conventional ozonation (O3-conv). Total organic carbon analysis demonstrated a mineralization degree of 12% with O3-conv, 35% with NiO as powder and 22% with NiO(F) after 60 min of reaction. The films of NiO(F) were sequentially used 4 times in ozonation demonstrating the stability of the synthesized material, as well as its properties as a catalyst for ozonation. A proposed modeling strategy using robust parametric identification techniques allows the comparison of NP decomposition pseudo-monomolecular reaction rates.