Elimination study of the chemotherapy drug tamoxifen by different advanced oxidation processes: Transformation products and toxicity assessment.
Tamoxifen is a chemotherapy drug considered as recalcitrant contaminant (with low biodegradability in conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment), bioaccumulative, ubiquitous, and potentially hazardous for the environment. This work studies the removal of Tamoxifen from water by advanced oxidation processes, paying special attention to the formation of transformation products (TPs) and to the evolution of toxicity (using the Microtox®bioassay) during the oxidation processes. Five types of treatments were evaluated combining different technologies based on ozone, hydrogen peroxide and UV radiation: i) O3, ii) O3/UV, iii) O3/H2O2(peroxone), iv) UV and v) UV/H2O2. Complete removal of tamoxifen was achieved after 30 min for all the treatments carried out with O3while a residual concentration (about 10% of initial one) was observed in the treatments based on UV and UV/H2O2after 4 h of reaction. Eight TPs were tentatively identified and one (non-ionizable molecule) was suspected to be present by using ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry. An increase of toxicity was observed during all the oxidation processes. In the case of ozone-based treatments that increase was attributed to the presence of some of the TPs identified, whereas in the case of UV-based treatments there was no clear correlation between toxicity and the identified TPs.
Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), H2O Building, Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain; Tracer Technology Department, Oil and Gas Section, Institute for Energy Technology, P.O. Box 40, NO-2027 Kjeller, Norway.
Laura
L
Ferrando-Climent
IQS School of Engineering, Universitat Ramon Llull, Via Augusta 390, 08017 Barcelona, Spain.
Rafael
R
Gonzalez-Olmos
LEQUIA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
Alba
A
Anfruns
Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), H2O Building, Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain.
Ignasi
I
Aymerich
Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), H2O Building, Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain.
Lluis
L
Corominas
Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), H2O Building, Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain; Water and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
Damià
D
Barceló
Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), H2O Building, Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain. Electronic address: srodriguez@icra.cat.
Sara
S
Rodriguez-Mozaz
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010126:Ozone / Q000737:chemistry; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D010126:Ozone; D013629:Tamoxifen; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Advanced oxidation processes; Anticancer drugs; HRMS; PCA; Persistent pollutant; Tamoxifen