Degradation of Paracetamol and Its Oxidation Products in Surface Water by Electrochemical Oxidation

Paracetamol and its toxic transformation products have been found in surface water, wastewater, and drinking water. Effective methods to degrade these products must be found to reduce their detrimental effects on microorganisms in aquatic systems and minimize the concern on human health. Thus, this study looked into the electrochemical oxidation of paracetamol and its oxidation products on surface water, and results were compared with those of paracetamol synthetic solution oxidation. Degradation of paracetamol was conducted using a stainless steel electrode cell, a pH of 3, and direct current densities of 5.7 mA/cm² (6 V) and 7.6 mA/cm² (12 V). For both current densities applied, the pharmaceutical and its oxidation products observed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) at 254 nm were totally degraded. Faster degradation of paracetamol was observed at a higher current density. Indeed, 95% of paracetamol was oxidized in only 15 min at the 7.6 mA/cm² current density. In comparison to the paracetamol synthetic solution's oxidation, degradation of paracetamol was faster in the surface water than the synthetic solution, at 5.7 mA/cm². Nevertheless, at 7.6 mA/cm², total degradation of paracetamol in surface water was delayed up to 40 min, versus 7.5 min in the synthetic solution. Three oxidation products, observed by HPLC-DAD at 254 nm, were fully oxidized. In comparison with the paracetamol synthetic solution, degradation of the oxidation products in surface water was faster than in synthetic solutions for both current densities. Furthermore, the 7.6 mA/cm² current density resulted in faster degradation of oxidation products. Results obtained from this work are promising for practical applications because short reaction times and low current densities are needed for degradation of paracetamol and its oxidation products. These densities can be potentially supplied by photovoltaic cells.