Layered double hydroxide as catalyst in heterogeneous Fenton degradation of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole in wastewater: degradation products and genotoxicity assessment

• Grant number: 19/24624-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): September 03, 2020
• Effective date (End): September 02, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Raquel Fernandes Pupo Nogueira
• Grantee: Nayara de Melo Costa Serge
• Supervisor: Serge Chiron
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Research place: HydroSciences Montpellier, France
• Associated to the scholarship: 18/17517-0 - Layered double hydroxide as catalysts in heterogeneous photo Fenton process for degradation of drugs present in hospital effluent, BP.DR

Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics, present in nanograms per liter and micrograms per liter concentration range. Consequently, inadequate discharge of municipal wastewaters may cause serious negative impact on ecosystems and threat to human health such as bacterial resistance to antibiotics. This project aims to expand the work underway about layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as catalysts for heterogeneous Fenton process. LDH based on Cu/Fe/Mg were synthesized with different intercalating anions (borate, carbonate and nitrate) and applied in heterogeneous Fenton process activated by hydrogen peroxide. The results showed efficiency for degradation of the antibiotic sulfathiazole and the anticancer drug 5-fluoruracil in purified water at near neutral pH. This proposal aims to evaluate the effect of different oxidizing agents: H2O2, persulfate (PS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) by applying layered double hydroxide, and mechanisms involved in the degradation mediated by different radicals (hydroxyl and sulfate).The degradation kinetics of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) will be studied in water and wastewater and degradation intermediates formed will be determined to study the mechanisms involved. Furthermore, genotoxicity of the wastewater during the treatment process will be also evaluated. The studies will be developed in a joint research unit at the University of Montpellier, HydroSciences Montpellier (HSM) in the Emerging Contaminants research line. This project part of the main goal of the project Innovative, Decentralized and low-cost treatment system for Optimal Urban wastewater Management (IDOUM) under investigation by researchers from Brazil, France, Germany and South Africa supported by FAPESP. (AU)