Advanced oxidation process for the removal of ibuprofen from aqueous solution: A non-catalytic and catalytic ozonation study in a semi-batch reactor

The concern on the availability of clean and safe fresh water and the quality of recycled wastewater are important issues, which require a suitable technology to restore the water quality. Pharmaceuticals in waste water are not easily degraded by conventional water treatment technology. Advanced oxidation processes have been applied to eliminate traces of these compounds from aquatic environments. This study was focused on the degradation of ibuprofen (IBU) in aqueous solutions by catalytic and non-catalytic ozonation. Preliminary experiments were conducted to optimize the ozone concentration in water and to investigate other operation parameters. The operation parameters were: temperature, stirring rate, gas flow rate, pH, and use of Spinchem stirrer to reach higher concentrations of dissolved ozone. In general, the initial concentration of IBU was 10 mg/L, and about 93% of IBU was degraded after 4 h of ozonation under optimal conditions. Additional experiments were carried out to investigate the benefit of applying a solid catalyst. H-Beta and Fe-H-Beta type catalysts were immobilized in the Spinchem rotating bed device. The catalytic experiments illustrated a significant improvement in the degradation rate of IBU. The catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption- desorption, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and FTIR.