Non-Thermal Plasma Oxidation Processes for the Removal of Pharmaceuticals in Water: Diclofenac and Diclofenac/Carbamazepine Mixture

Abstract

The Non-Thermal Plasma (NTP) process was studied for the removal of pharmaceutical pollutants (diclofenac (DCF) and carbamazepine (CBZ)) from water. In the individual treatment, at 0.2 W, showed 86% DCF and 63% CBZ degradation in 40 min, forming hydroxylated and nitro-products. The same degradation efficiency was achieved for each compound in the mixed pollutant systems, and a complete degradation was attained after 90 min. By comparing the intermediate products, the formation of nitro-products was higher in the mixed systems compared to their individual solutions treatment. The study concluded that NTP efficiency should be evaluated on pollutant mixtures rather than single compounds. Complementary biological analyses revealed the potential cell toxicity induced by generated products, highlighting the pertinence for toxicological analyses.