Air non-thermal plasma, a green approach for the treatment of contaminated water: the case of sulfamethoxazole

Author:

Giardina Agata,Lofrano Giusy,Libralato Giovanni,Siciliano Antonietta,Marotta Ester,Paradisi Cristina

Abstract

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is gaining increasing attention as a promising approach for advanced water treatment to degrade persistent organic pollutants. Aqueous solutions of sulfamethoxazole (4-amino-N-(5-methylisoxazol-3-yl)-benzensulfonamide, SMZ), an antibiotic largely employed for humans and animals and a widespread persistent pollutant of waters and wastewaters, were subjected to air NTP treatment in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The effects of SMZ initial concentration and of the solution pH on SMZ decomposition kinetics and transformation products were investigated. Efficient degradation was achieved, resulting in the complete removal of SMZ (10 μM initial concentration) in less than 25 min treatments, in the exhaustive mineralization (a result never reported before in plasma treatments and seldom reached also with other advanced oxidation processes) of all organic carbon in 6 h and in an energy efficiency of 6.4 g/kWh at 50% conversion. By means of HPLC-UV/Vis and LC-ESI-MSn analyses, a number of organic transformation products was identified along the path to SMZ mineralization, all present always in very small amounts and in turn decomposed at short treatment times. The effect of the solution pH on the genesis and decay of transformation products was also investigated. Based on comparisons with literature data and on previous findings obtained with the DBD reactor used in this work, it is concluded that the major reactive species involved in the degradation of SMZ are the hydroxyl radical and ozone. Finally, toxicological analyses of water initially containing 0.5 mM SMZ and subjected to 4 h NTP treatment showed that the by-products are not toxic to Raphidocelis subcapitata and Daphnia magna, while residual toxicity was detected by Aliivibrio fischeri.

Publisher

Frontiers Media SA

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3