Publications by authors named "Jaime Gimenez"

Nowadays, reaction mechanisms of photo-Fenton process with chelated iron are not yet clearly defined. In this study, five organic fertilizers were used as iron complexes to investigate the role of sunlight and oxygen in photo-Fenton at near neutral pH. UV absorbance and stability constant of each selected iron chelate is different, and this work demonstrates that these parameters affect the reaction mechanisms in SMX degradation.

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Combined sewer overflows (CSO), generated during the wet weather flow from the combination of the inflow and stormwater runoff in sewer system, result in an overflow of untreated wastewater from sewer system, which might ultimately contain different micropollutants (MPs). In this study, a coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation (CFS) pretreated CSO spiked with MPs was treated by catalytic ozonation using carbon, iron, and peroxide-based catalysts. The catalysts were characterized and their activity on MPs removal was studied at two different ozone (O) doses (5 and 10 mg L).

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Fertilisers containing ammonium nitrate have caused several accidents over the years, including toxic clouds, fires and explosions. For this reason, this work examines the accident that occurred in Escombreras valley (Cartagena, Spain) related to the decomposition of NPK 15-15-15 fertiliser, composed basically of monoammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride. The fertiliser was stored in a silo and its decomposition produced a toxic cloud formed of nitrogen oxides.

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The abatement of valproic acid sodium salt (VA) via photo-Fenton process was investigated to evaluate the effect of irradiation type. Three different light sources have been used: UVA (black light blue lamps, BLB reactor), UVC (UVC reactor) and simulated sunlight in a Solarbox (SB). Using the highest concentrations of Fe (10mgL) and HO (150mgL), 100% of VA degradation was observed in BLB and UVC devices, and 89.

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Today, environmental impact associated with pollution treatment is a matter of great concern. A method is proposed for evaluating environmental risk associated with Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) applied to wastewater treatment. The method is based on the type of pollution (wastewater, solids, air or soil) and on materials and energy consumption.

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This article examines the oxidative disposal of Prozac(®) (also known as Fluoxetine, FXT) through several oxidative processes with and without UV irradiation: for example, TiO(2) alone, O(3) alone, and the hybrid methods comprised of O(3) + H(2)O(2) (PEROXONE process), TiO(2) + O(3) and TiO(2) + O(3) + H(2)O(2) at the laboratory scale. Results show a strong pH dependence of the adsorption of FXT on TiO(2) and the crucial role of adsorption in the whole degradation process. Photolysis of FXT is remarkable only under alkaline pH.

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In this study the degradation of the worldwide Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) ibuprofen (IBP) by photo-Fenton reaction by use of solar artificial irradiation was carried out. Non-photocatalytic experiments (complex formation, photolysis and UV/Vis-H(2)O(2) oxidation) were executed to evaluate the isolated effects and additional differentiated degradation pathways of IBP. The solar photolysis cleavage of H(2)O(2) generates hydroxylated-IBP byproducts without mineralization.

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The photocatalytic efficiency of two 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium (TP(+)) based photocatalysts (supported on silica or incorporated inside zeolite Beta, 3wt%) for the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) in aqueous media has been compared with TiO(2) (Degussa P-25). It was found that the efficiency of the degradation depends on the photocatalytic setup, recirculation through a tubular reactor being highly unfavorable for the TP(+)-based photocatalysts due to the deposition of the silica or zeolite particles. In contrast, high efficiency in DCP disappearance (up to 87%) and in the total organic content decrease (up to 62%) were obtained using a discontinuous batch reactor in which the TP(+) photocatalysts were uniformly suspended.

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The aim of this work is to evaluate and compare the degradation achieved for three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by heterogeneous TiO2 photocatalytic means in aqueous solution at laboratory scale. The selected pharmaceutical compounds were diclofenac (DCF), naproxen (NPX) and ibuprofen (IBP). These compounds were used in their sodium salt chemical form.

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Advanced Oxidation Processes (O3, O3/H2O2, UV, UV/O3, UV/H2O2, O3/UV/H2O2, Fe2+ /H2O2 and photocatalysis) for degradation of phenol in aqueous solution have been studied in earlier works. In this paper, a comparison of these techniques is undertaken: pH influence, kinetic constants, stoichiometric coefficient and optimum oxidant/pollutant ratio. Of the tested processes, Fenton reagent was found to the fastest one for phenol degradation.

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