Continuous reactor study for cephalexin degradation by heterogeneous photo-Fenton process under sunlight

• Grant number: 22/10034-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date until: December 01, 2022
• End date until: September 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Raquel Fernandes Pupo Nogueira
• Grantee: Thaís Betoni de Paula
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/04333-6 - Cephalexin degradation applying electro-Fenton process using magnetite electrodeposited in steel mesh and DSA electrode, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

TThe increasing use of antibiotics and their low removal in biological processes of sewage treatment justifies their presence in effluents from treatment plants, which result in environmental contamination with consequences for the aquatic biota and human health. Because of the wide use of cephalexin worldwide, this project proposes a continuous reactor for the degradation of the antibiotic cephalexin by the Fenton process in a heterogeneous medium. The methodology will consist of application of the process in solutions of the antibiotic in purified water and in domestic effluent. For the application of the heterogeneous process, magnetite immobilized by electrodeposition on stainless steel nets, mesh 30, will be used in a continuous rectangular reactor measuring 0.6 m in length, 0.08 m in height, 0.05 m in width, and a total volume of 2.4 L. The nets will be arranged along the reactor at a slope of 45o and exposed to solar radiation. The number of nets and the mass of the magnetite deposited on the nets and their reuse will be evaluated to maximize the process efficiency. The effect of inlet flow, solution pH, time of exposure to solar irradiation, and hydrogen peroxide concentration on cephalexin degradation kinetics will be also evaluated. The concentrations of the antibiotic, residual hydrogen peroxide, and soluble iron will be monitored to evaluate the efficiency of the process and the contribution of the homogeneous process. It is expected to obtain subsidies to develop a continuous reactor on a larger scale, efficient and applicable for treating domestic effluents using the heterogeneous Fenton process under sunlight.