Magnetic Photocatalyst for Wastewater Tertiary Treatment at Pilot Plant Scale: Disinfection and Enrofloxacin Abatement

In this work, we have tested a photocatalytic material consisting of core SiO2/Fe3O4 coated with TiO2 (Magnox) for plausible tertiary wastewater treatment. For this, pilot plant 45 L equipped an Ultraviolet light (UVC) lamp was employed to study the degradation model contaminant, enrofloxacin (ENR), as well water disinfection (elimination Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens). The influence different operational conditions explored by means dye (rhodamine-B) decolorization rates, analyzing effects photocatalyst quantity, pH recirculation flow rates. magnox/UVC process also compared other four Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs): (i) UVC irradiation alone, (ii) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2/UVC), (iii) Fenton, (iv) photo-Fenton. Although efficient enough produce total disinfection, only when employing AOPs, significant degradations ENR were observed, photo-Fenton being most (total removal in 5 min c.a. 80% mineralization 120 min, at pH0 2.8). However, Magnox/UVC has shown great pollutant abatement effectiveness under neutral conditions, additional advantage no acid or H2O2 addition, its reuse simple separation due magnetic properties.