Degradation of Carbamazepine during UV/H_2O_2 Treatment of Wastewater

摘要

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is an antiepileptic drug that has been detected in wastewater effluents and wastewater impacted streams in many parts of the world (1). Chronic toxicity of CBZ to some aquatic organisms has been calculated to be in low μg/L, close to the concentrations detected in the environment (1). It has been shown to persist in the wastewater treatment plants using traditional as well as advanced treatment methods (2). Advanced oxidation processes (AOP) are one of the technologies used for addressing pharmaceutical contamination in drinking water and water reuse applications. AOP application for wastewater treatment is gaining interest, especially for treating recalcitrant compounds such as carbamazepine. This study investigated degradation of carbamazepine in wastewater during UV/H_2O_2 advanced oxidation via direct photolysis and hydroxyl radical oxidation followed by biological treatment. Separately neither of the two processes is effective in degrading CBZ to mineralization, but when combined they may fully mineralize it.