title: Investigation on the removal of the major cocaine metabolite (benzoylecgonine) in water matrices by UV254/H2O2 process by using a flow microcapillary film array photoreactor as an efficient experimental tool.
abstract: A microcapillary film reactor (MCF) was adopted to evaluate and compare the removal efficiency of benzoylecgonine (BE), an emerging micropollutant deriving from illicit drug abuse (cocaine), in different aqueous matrices: milliQ water, synthetic and real wastewater and surface water. The removal processes investigated were the direct photolysis with UV radiation at 254 nm, and the advanced oxidation process (AOP) with the same UV radiation and hydrogen peroxide. As a result of the microfluidics approach developed through an innovative experimental apparatus, full conversion of BE was reached within a few seconds or minutes of residence time in the MCF depending on the process conditions adopted. The radiation dose was estimated to be approximately 5.5 J cm(-2). The innovative MCF reactor was found to be an effective tool for photochemical studies, especially when using highly priced, uncommon, or regulated substances. The removal efficiency was affected by the nature of the aqueous matrix, due to the presence of different xenobiotics and natural compounds that act primarily as HO(•) radical scavengers and secondly as inner UV254 filters. Moreover, nano-liquid chromatography (LC)-high resolution-mass spectrometry analysis was utilized to identify the main reaction transformation products, showing the formation of hydroxylated aromatics during the photochemical treatment.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Dei Materiali e Della Produzione Industriale, Università di Napoli "Federico II", P.le V. Tecchio, 80, Napoli 80125, Italy. Electronic address: danilo.russo3@unina.it.
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Dei Materiali e Della Produzione Industriale, Università di Napoli "Federico II", P.le V. Tecchio, 80, Napoli 80125, Italy.
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spasiano
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Dei Materiali e Della Produzione Industriale, Università di Napoli "Federico II", P.le V. Tecchio, 80, Napoli 80125, Italy.
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vaccaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
authors.forename: Kristin H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Cochran
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
authors.forename: Susan D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Dei Materiali e Della Produzione Industriale, Università di Napoli "Federico II", P.le V. Tecchio, 80, Napoli 80125, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andreozzi
authors.affiliation: Environmental Nanocatalysis & Photoreaction Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK. Electronic address: G.Lipuma@lboro.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li Puma
authors.affiliation: Environmental Nanocatalysis & Photoreaction Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK.
authors.forename: Nuno M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Dei Materiali e Della Produzione Industriale, Università di Napoli "Federico II", P.le V. Tecchio, 80, Napoli 80125, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marotta
mesh_terms: D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D003042:Cocaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010782:Photolysis; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D003042:Cocaine; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C005618:benzoylecgonine
keywords: Advanced oxidation processes; Benzoylecgonine; Emerging micropollutants; Microcapillary film photoreactor; Surface waters; Wastewater