Novel integrated photocatalytic adsorbents (IPCAs) for degradation of pharmaceuticals from water and wastewater

Abstract

The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the aquatic environment and their possible effects on living organisms has emerged as a serious environmental concern. There is an increasing need for a cost- and energy-effective clean technology for the removal and degradation of organic compounds before they find their way into ground water wells and surface waters. Photocatalysis using cheap and non-toxic TiO2 has been recently used to degrade pharmaceuticals and pesticides in water, and was found to be superior to conventional methods. However, large scale application has been hindered by problems associated with its preferential use in slurry form and the high cost of radiation of large slurry volumes. Therefore, it is proposed to combine ell-established adsorption on activated carbon with rather novel TiO2 photocatalysis. This strategy will lead to the development of TiO2-coated activated carbon materials, i.e. integrated photocatalytic adsorbents (IPCAs).