Ibuprofen removal from synthetic effluents using Electrocoagulation-Peroxidation (ECP)

Concerning water resources, several ordinances and legislation determine standards and conditions for the discharge of effluents into water bodies. However, several contaminants are not covered by these guidelines due to little knowledge of their long-term effects and because they are found in low concentrations. These contaminants are called emergent and this category includes drugs, such as anti-inflammatory drugs. The electrocoagulation process associated with advanced oxidation comes up as an alternative to conventional effluent treatment processes, and the objective of this study was to evaluate this process using scrap iron as sacrificial electrodes in the treatment of synthetic effluents containing ibuprofen. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to quantify the drug in synthetic effluents. The Central Rotational Composite Design 2⁴ was used in an experimental design, considering independent variables the concentration of contaminants, applied current, the concentration of the primary oxidizing agent H₂O₂, and the reaction time. The optimized conditions determined by statistical analysis were drug concentration of 5 mg L^-1, H₂O₂ concentration of 200 mg L^-1, current of 5 A, and 150 min. The removals obtained under these conditions were higher than 92% in the aqueous phase, showing that electrocoagulation peroxidation technique has the potential to treat contaminants such as drugs present in effluents and waters.