Radiolysis performance of ibuprofen using ionizing processes: kinetics and energy consumption

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Radiochemistry
• Water Treatment Technologies

Background:

• Pharmaceuticals like ibuprofen are prevalent pollutants in industrial wastewaters.
• Ionizing technologies offer advanced oxidation processes for water disinfection and pollutant degradation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the radiolytic degradation of ibuprofen (IBP) using gamma irradiation and electron beam acceleration.
• To determine the efficiency of IBP degradation and identify optimal conditions for its removal from wastewater.
• To explore the synergistic effects of persulfate ions on IBP degradation.

Main Methods:

• Radiolytic degradation of ibuprofen using a 60Co gamma irradiator and an electron beam accelerator.
• Monitoring IBP degradation via absorbance, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Total Organic Carbon (TOC).
• Kinetic analysis using pseudo-first-order reaction models and estimation of Electrical Energy per Order (EEO).

Main Results:

• IBP degradation efficiency reached 95% based on residual concentration, exceeding TOC and COD removal.
• Complete degradation of 0.1 mM IBP was achieved at 3 kGy, while higher concentrations (0.8-1 mM) required 7-10 kGy.
• Addition of 1 mM persulfate ion enhanced IBP degradation by 2-2.8 times, significantly reducing EEO, especially with gamma radiation.

Conclusions:

• Radiolytic degradation is a viable method for removing ibuprofen from industrial wastewater.
• Combining gamma radiation with persulfate ions presents an energy-efficient approach for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.
• Understanding degradation pathways and kinetics is crucial for optimizing large-scale application of nuclear techniques in water treatment.