Propranolol degradation through processes based on the generation of hydroxyl free radical.

Pharmaceutical substances such as propranolol (PRO) are an emerging class of aquatic contaminants that have increasingly been detected in ground and surface water. For this reason, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of advanced oxidation systems for the PRO degradation. The tests started with anodic oxidation (AO), using 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 M NaSO as the supporting electrolyte and 16, 32, 48, and 64 mA cm as current density. Under the best conditions obtained in AO, the electro-Fenton (EF) process was reviewed, where the effect of Fe was analyzed with 5, 10, 15, and 20 mg Fe L. The Fenton reaction (FR) was studied using the Fe concentration that promoted the highest percentage of PRO removal and initial concentration of 16 mg L of HO, in addition to these conditions, in the photo-Fenton (PF) system, the effect of UV light with wavelengths 254 and 365 nm were evaluated. The results obtained showed that the degradation efficiency of the EF > AO > PF > FR system along with a percent removal of 94.52, 90.4, 25.97, and 4.4%, respectively. The results showed that PRO can be removed through the studied systems, with the EF system being the most efficient.