Plasma treatment of sulfamethoxazole contaminated water: Intermediate products, toxicity assessment and potential agricultural reuse

The increasing global water demand has prompted the reuse of treated wastewater. However, the persistence of organic micropollutants in inefficiently treated effluents can have detrimental effects depending on the scope of the reclaimed water usage. One example is the presence of sulfamethoxazole, a...

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Published in:The Science of the total environment Vol. 909; p. 168524
Main Authors: Bilea, Florin, Bradu, Corina, Cicirma, Marius, Medvedovici, Andrei Valentin, Magureanu, Monica
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier B.V 20.01.2024
Subjects:
Advanced oxidation processes
antibiotics
energy
environment
folic acid
hydroxylation
Non-thermal plasma
ozone
Phytotoxicity
pollutants
species
Sulfamethoxazole
wastewater
wastewater treatment
water pollution
Water reuse
Water treatment
water utilization
Advanced oxidation processes
Water treatment
Non-thermal plasma
Sulfamethoxazole
Phytotoxicity
Water reuse
ISSN:0048-9697, 1879-1026, 1879-1026
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The increasing global water demand has prompted the reuse of treated wastewater. However, the persistence of organic micropollutants in inefficiently treated effluents can have detrimental effects depending on the scope of the reclaimed water usage. One example is the presence of sulfamethoxazole, a widely used antibiotic whose interference with the folate synthesis pathway negatively affects plants and microorganisms. The goal of this study is to assess the suitability of a non-thermal plasma-ozonation technique for the removal of the organic pollutant and reduction of its herbicidal effect. Fast sulfamethoxazole degradation was achieved with apparent reaction rate constants in the range 0.21–0.49 min−1, depending on the initial concentration. The highest energy yield (64.5 g/kWh at 50 % removal) exceeds the values reported thus far in plasma degradation experiments. During treatment, 38 degradation intermediates were detected and identified, of which only 9 are still present after 60 min. The main reactive species that contribute to the degradation of sulfamethoxazole and its intermediate products were hydroxyl radicals and ozone, which led to the formation of several hydroxylated compounds, ring opening and fragmentation. The herbicidal effect of the target compound was eliminated with its removal, showing that the remanent intermediates do not retain phytotoxic properties. [Display omitted] •Conventional wastewater treatment is insufficient for combating water pollution.•Pollutant removal by plasma and toxicity evaluation after treatment were addressed.•Sulfamethoxazole degradation using a plasma-ozonation method was investigated.•Formation and subsequent removal of multiple degradation intermediates was studied.•The plasma-ozonation method is fast, highly efficient and reduces pollutant toxicity.
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ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168524