Comprehensive study on effects of water matrices on removal of pharmaceuticals by three different kinds of advanced oxidation processes.

Simple semi-theoretical models were developed to estimate the performance of three different kinds of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) in the degradation of pharmaceuticals. The AOPs included the photo-Fenton process as an example of a liquid-liquid reaction, the TiO2 photocatalytic oxidation process as a solid-liquid reaction, and the combined ozone and hydrogen peroxide oxidation process as a gas-liquid reaction; the effects of the aqueous matrices (CESs: co-existing substances) of actual wastewater on the removal of pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine and diclofenac) was taken into account. By comparing the characteristic parameters of the models, obtained from the experiments using pure water and actual wastewater, the effects of CESs on the respective removal mechanisms could be separately and quantitatively evaluated.