Solar reclamation of wastewater effluent polluted with bisphenols, phthalates and parabens by photocatalytic treatment with TiO2/Na2S2O8 at pilot plant scale.

Investigations of anthropogenic contaminants in fresh- and wastewater have shown a wide variety of undesirable organic compounds such as Endocrine Disruptors (EDs). As a result, wastewater treatments using innovative technologies to remove those organic compounds are required. In this paper, the photodegradation of six EDs in wastewater at pilot plant scale is reported. The EDs were bisphenol A, bisphenol B, diamyl phthalate, butyl benzylphthalate, methylparaben and ethylparaben. Commercial TiO2 nanopowders (P25, Alfa Aesar and Kronos vlp 7000) were used as photocatalysts. The operating variables (type and loading catalyst, effect of electron acceptor and pH) were previously optimized under laboratory conditions. The results show that the use of TiO2 alongside an electron acceptor like Na2S2O8 strongly enhances the degradation rate of the studied compounds compared with photolytic tests, especially P25. The oxidation rates of the EDs at pilot plant scale were calculated following the disappearance of the target compound as a function of fluence (H). The ED degradation followed a pseudo-first order kinetics in all cases. In our experimental conditions, the half-fluence (H50) varied from 79 to 173 J cm-2 (photolytic test), 10-117 J cm-2 (TiO2 vlp 7000) and 3-58 J cm-2 (TiO2 P25), for bisphenol B and butyl benzylphthalate, respectively. It is concluded that solar photocatalysis using the tandem TiO2/Na2S2O8 can be considered as an environmental-friendly tool for water detoxification and a sustainable technology for environmental remediation, especially in the Mediterranean Basin, where many places receive more than 3000 h of sunshine per year. Although the cost depends on the nature of the pollutant, the treatment cost was estimate to be about 150 € m-3 for photocatalytic treatment with TiO2 P25.