title: Degradation of ibuprofen by hydrodynamic cavitation: Reaction pathways and effect of operational parameters.
abstract: Ibuprofen (IBP) is an anti-inflammatory drug whose residues can be found worldwide in natural water bodies resulting in harmful effects to aquatic species even at low concentrations. This paper deals with the degradation of IBP in water by hydrodynamic cavitation in a convergent-divergent nozzle. Over 60% of ibuprofen was degraded in 60 min with an electrical energy per order (EEO) of 10.77 kWh m(-3) at an initial concentration of 200 μg L(-1) and a relative inlet pressure pin=0.35 MPa. Five intermediates generated from different hydroxylation reactions were identified; the potential mechanisms of degradation were sketched and discussed. The reaction pathways recognized are in line with the relevant literature, both experimental and theoretical. By varying the pressure upstream the constriction, different degradation rates were observed. This effect was discussed according to a numerical simulation of the hydroxyl radical production identifying a clear correspondence between the maximum kinetic constant kOH and the maximum calculated OH production. Furthermore, in the investigated experimental conditions, the pH parameter was found not to affect the extent of degradation; this peculiar feature agrees with a recently published kinetic insight and has been explained in the light of the intermediates of the different reaction pathways.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Design, Edilizia e Ambiente, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Real Casa dell'Annunziata, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa (CE), Italy.
authors.forename: Dino
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Musmarra
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e dell'Informazione e di Economia, Università dell'Aquila, viale Giovanni Gronchi 18, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy. Electronic address: marina.prisciandaro@univaq.it.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prisciandaro
authors.affiliation: Facoltà di Ingegneria, Università Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 21, 00128 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capocelli
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Design, Edilizia e Ambiente, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Real Casa dell'Annunziata, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa (CE), Italy.
authors.forename: Despina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Karatza
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Via Vivaldi, 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Iovino
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Via Vivaldi, 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Canzano
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, dei Materiali e della Produzione Industriale, Università "Federico II" di Napoli, Piazzale V. Tecchio, 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Amedeo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lancia
mesh_terms: D057446:Hydrodynamics; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007052:Ibuprofen / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007700:Kinetics; D011312:Pressure; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D007052:Ibuprofen
keywords: Emerging contaminants; Ibuprofen; Intermediates; Modeling; Reaction mechanism; Venturi reactor