Sulfonamides photoassisted oxidation treatments catalyzed by ilmenite.

This work assesses the feasibility of several advanced oxidation processes (CWPO Catalytic Wet Peroxide Oxidation), Photocatalysis and their combination (CWPO-Photoassisted process) for sulfonamide antibiotic degradation. Raw ilmenite was used as catalyst in both processes, because of the presence of iron and titanium in its structure. Despite both treatments allowed reaching a total starting antibiotic depletion working at pH0 = 3 and T0 = 30 °C within 30 min reaction time, significant differences were observed in terms of mineralization. Thus, whereas photocatalytic process just reduced 35% of initial TOC after 120 min, a 85% of mineralization was reached in the presence of H2O2 (CWPO-Photoassisted process) which was related to the oxidation pathway. Only a 35% of mineralization was reached in case of CWPO. In this sense, the degradation route under CWPO-Photoassisted process displayed a mechanism based on the hydroxylation that led to lower molecular weight intermediates. On the contrary, under photocatalysis conditions, the appearance of higher molecular weight intermediates due to organic radical recombination indicates the prevailing of a condensation mechanism.

Synthesis of high surface area carbon adsorbents prepared from pine sawdust-Onopordum acanthium L. for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs adsorption.

Chemically activated carbon materials prepared from pine sawdust-Onopordum acanthium L. were studied for the removal of diclofenac and naproxen from aqueous solution. Several carbons, using different proportions of precursors were obtained (carbon C1 to carbon C5) and the chemical modification by liquid acid and basic treatments of C1 were carried out. The textural properties of the carbons, evaluated by N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, revealed that the treatments with nitric acid and potassium hydroxide dramatically reduced the specific surface area and the pore volume of the carbon samples. The surface chemistry characterization, made by thermal programmed decomposition studies, determination of isoelectric point and Boehm's titration, showed the major presence of lactone and phenol groups on the activated carbons surface, being higher the content when the acidic strength of the carbon increased. Diclofenac and naproxen kinetic data onto C1 carbon followed pseudo-second order model. The adsorption equilibrium isotherms of C1 and the modified carbons were well described by both Sips and GAB isotherm equations. The highest adsorption capacity was found for naproxen onto C1 activated carbon, 325 mg g(-1), since the liquid acid and basic functionalization of the carbon led to a severe decreasing in the adsorption removal of the target compounds.

Comparison of Fenton and Fenton-like oxidation for the treatment of cosmetic wastewater.

The treatment of cosmetic wastewaters by Fenton (Fe²âº/H2O2) and Fenton-like (Fe³âº/H2O2) oxidation has been studied. From batch and continuous experiments it has been proved that both versions of the Fenton process lead to quite similar results in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon reduction although the COD shows a slightly higher rate in the early stages of reaction. COD reductions of around 55% after 2 h reaction time and 75-80% with 4 h residence time were reached in batch and continuous experiments, respectively, conducted at pH around 3, ambient temperature (20 °C), with 200 mg/L of Fe dose and an initial H2O2/COD weight ratio corresponding to the theoretical stoichiometric value. Achieving the locally allowable limit of COD for industrial wastewater discharge into the municipal sewer system takes no more than 30 min reaction time under those conditions by both Fenton systems. However, the Fenton-like process, where iron is fed as Fe(3+), would be preferable for industrial applications since the ferric sludge resulting upon final neutralization of the effluent can be recycled to the process. A second-order kinetic equation with respect to COD fitted fairly well the experimental results at different temperatures, thus providing a simple practical tool for design purposes.

Treatment of a wastewater from a pesticide manufacture by combined coagulation and Fenton oxidation.

The treatment of a non-biodegradable agrochemical wastewater has been studied by coupling of preliminary coagulation-flocculation step and further Fenton oxidation. High percentages of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (up to 58 %) were achieved in a first step using polyferric chloride as coagulant. This reduced significantly the amount of H2O2 required in the further Fenton oxidation. Using the stoichiometric amount relative to COD around 80 % of the remaining organic load was mineralized. The combined treatment allowed achieving the regional discharge limits of ecotoxicity at a cost substantially lower than the solution used so far where these wastewaters are managed as hazardous wastes.

CWPO of 4-CP and industrial wastewater with Al-Fe pillared clays.

Catalysts based on pillared clays with Al-Fe have been synthesised from a commercial bentonite and tested for catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) of aqueous 4-Chlorophenol (4-CP) solution and industrial wastewater from cosmetics manufacture. The effect of the synthesis procedure, the iron load and reaction temperature on the catalytic activity was studied using 4-CP as target compound. A lower temperature in the preparation of the pillaring solution, as well as a higher Fe load, gave rise to a higher catalytic activity, but also a higher leaching of the active phase. The best catalyst, in terms of catalytic activity, was also tested for treating cosmetic wastewater by CWPO. Experiments were carried out at 90 degrees C and atmospheric pressure and the influence of Fe load, catalyst concentration and H(2)O(2)/COD ratio (between 0.5 and 2 times the stoichiometric ratio) were analysed. Higher values of these parameters favour COD reduction. The Fe leaching in all cases was lower than 1.2 mg/L, indicating that these catalysts have a high stability under these experimental conditions.

Oxidation of cosmetic wastewaters with H(2)O(2) using a Fe/gamma-Al(2)O(3) catalyst.

A catalyst based on Fe supported on gamma-Al(2)O(3) has been prepared and tested for catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) of cosmetic wastewaters. The influence of the main operating conditions (space-time, temperature, and H(2)O(2) dose) have been investigated. Working with this self-made Fe/gamma-Al(2)O(3) catalyst at 85 degrees C, with a space-time of 9.4 kg(cat) h/kg(COD) and a dose of H(2)O(2), corresponding to 0.5 times the theoretical stoichiometric H(2)O(2)/COD ratio, a substantial COD reduction (around 80%) has been reached with a complete consumption of H(2)O(2). The locally allowable limit of COD for industrial wastewaters discharge to the municipal sewer system can be achieved at lower temperature and space-time. The catalyst showed a high stability in 100 h time on stream tests, where COD and TOC reductions around 82 and 60%, respectively, were maintained working at 85 degrees C and 9.4 kg(cat) h/kg(COD) space-time. Fe leaching from the catalyst upon that time on stream was lower than 3% of the initial load.

Semicontinuous Fenton oxidation of phenol in aqueous solution. A kinetic study.

This work investigates the Fenton oxidation of phenol in a semicontinuous reactor where the overall amount of H(2)O(2) is distributed as a continuous feed upon the reaction time. The experiments were carried out at 25 degrees C and atmospheric pressure, with 100mg/L initial phenol concentration and iron dosages from 1 to 100 mg/L. H(2)O(2) aqueous solution was continuously fed during 4h reaction time up to an overall dose varying within the range of 500-5000 mg/L. The results in terms of evolution of phenol, H(2)O(2) and intermediates, as well as TOC abatement were compared with those obtained in conventional batch operation. It was found that the oxidation rates for phenol and intermediates were lower when adding the H(2)O(2) continuously. However, a higher abatement of TOC was reached at the end of the 4-h reaction time, in spite of a similar overall H(2)O(2) consumption. This is the result of a more efficient OH generation throughout the semicontinuous process, favouring the reaction with the organic species and reducing the occurrence of competitive scavenging reactions involving Fe(2+), H(2)O(2) and OH. Two kinetic models were proposed, one for describing the evolution of phenol, aromatics and H(2)O(2) and the other for TOC. The influence of the operating conditions on the kinetic constants was also studied, looking for the optimal conditions in terms of both, environmental and economic points of view.

Evolution of ecotoxicity upon Fenton's oxidation of phenol in water.

This work deals with the evolution of intermediates and ecotoxicity upon Fenton's oxidation of phenol in aqueous solution. The EC50 values of the intermediates identified in the oxidation pathway of phenol have been measured. Some of these compounds, mainly hydroquinone and p-benzoquinone, showed toxicity levels much higher than phenol itself. Depending on the operating conditions, these intermediates could be completely transformed into organic acids, mainly oxalic and formic. Ecotoxicity values substantially lower than those expected from the chemical composition were measured in the reaction samples. This is explained by a reduction of the concentration of aromatic intermediates when the pH was adjusted at 6-8 (according to what is required by the standard bioassay ISO 11348-3). Formation of complexes between hydroquinone and p-benzoquinone at increasing pH can remove from solution those highly toxic intermediates whose very low EC50 values give rise to a high ecotoxicity even at fairly low concentrations. This together with the enhanced decomposition of residual H202 at increasing pH represent important beneficial effects of the neutralization step following Fenton treatment which allow a complementary cleaning of the effluent.

Chemical pathway and kinetics of phenol oxidation by Fenton's reagent.

Phenol oxidation by Fenton's reagent (H2O2 + Fe2+) in aqueous solution has been studied in depth for the purpose of learning more about the reactions involved and the extent of the oxidation process, under various operating conditions. An initial phenol concentration of 100 mg/L was used as representative of a phenolic industrial wastewater. Working temperatures of 25 and 50 degrees C were tested, and the initial pH was set at 3. The H2O2 and the Fe2+ doses were varied in the range of 500-5000 and 1-100 mg/L, respectively, corresponding to 1-10 times the stoichiometric ratio. A series of intermediates were identified, corresponding mainly to ring compounds and short-chain organic acids. Most significant among the former were catechol, hydroquinone, and p-benzoquinone; the main organic acids were maleic, acetic, oxalic, and formic, with substantially lower amounts of muconic, fumaric, and malonic acids. Under milder operating conditions (H2O2 and Fe2+ at lower concentrations), a great difference was found between the measured total organic carbon (TOC) and the amount of carbon in all analyzed species in the reaction medium. This difference decreased as the doses of H2O2 and Fe2+ increased, indicating that the unidentified compounds must correspond to oxidation intermediates between phenol and the organic acids. To establish a complete oxidation pathway, experiments were carried out using each of the identified intermediates as starting compounds. Dihydroxybenzenes were identified in the earlier oxidation stages. Muconic acid was detected in catechol but not in the hydroquinone and p-benzoquinone oxidation runs; the last two compounds were oxidized to maleic acid. Oxalic and acetic acid appeared to be fairly refractory to this oxidation treatment. A detailed knowledge of the time evolution of the oxidation intermediates is of environmental interest particularly in the case of hydroquinone and p-benzoquinone because their toxicities are several orders of magnitudes higher than that of phenol itself. The time evolution of the intermediates and TOC was fitted to a simple second-order kinetic equation, and the values of the kinetic constants were determined. This provides a simplified approach useful for design purposes.

Dietary influence of kefir on microbial activities in the mouse bowel.

AIMS: In this work the microflora present in kefir, a fermented milk product, was studied together with the effect of kefir administration on different groups of indigenous bacteria of mouse bowel. METHODS AND RESULTS: Kefir microflora was composed of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria and yeasts. Yeast population was composed of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. unisporus, Candida kefir, Kluyveromyces marxianus and K. lactis. The streptococci levels in kefir treated mice increased by 10-fold and the levels of sulfite-reducing clostridia decreased by 100-fold. The number of lactic acid bacteria increased significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of kefir significantly increased the lactic acid bacteria counts in the mucosa of the bowel. Ingestion of kefir specifically lowered microbial populations of Enterobacteriaceae and clostridia. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first long-term study about the effects of the kefir administration on the intestinal microflora of mice.

Incidence of E. coli O157:H7 and other enteropathogens in a Spanish hospital.

From January to December 1997, stools submitted for routine culture were also screened for E. coli O157:H7 to investigate its incidence in our area. Bloody and non-bloody stools were studied. E. coli O157:H7 was not recovered from any of the samples tested. We believe, therefore, that we are in a low rate of infection area, and accordingly do not recommend routine screening of this pathogen.