title: Bioelectro-Fenton: evaluation of a combined biological-advanced oxidation treatment for pharmaceutical wastewater.
abstract: Electro-Fenton (EF), an advanced oxidation process, can be combined with a biological process for efficient treatment of wastewater containing refractory pollutants such as pharmaceuticals. In this study, a biological process was implemented in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR), which was either preceded or followed by EF treatment. The main goal was to evaluate the potential of two sequences of a combined electrochemical-biological process: EF/SBR and SBR/EF for the treatment of real wastewater spiked with 0.1 mM of caffeine and 5-fluorouracil. The biological removal of COD and pharmaceuticals was improved by extending the acclimation time and increasing concentration of biomass in the SBR. Hardly biodegradable caffeine and COD were completely removed during the EF post-treatment (SBR/EF). During the EF/SBR sequence, complete removal of pharmaceuticals was achieved by EF within 30 min at applied current 800 mA. With a current of 500 and 800 mA, the initially very low BOD5/COD ratio increased up to 0.38 and 0.58, respectively, after 30 min. The efficiency of the biological post-treatment was influenced by the biodegradability enhancement after EF pre-treatment. The choice of an adequate sequence of such a combined process is significantly related to the wastewater characteristics as well as the treatment objectives.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement, UPEM, 77454, 4508, Marne-la-Vallée, EA, France.
authors.forename: Oleksandra
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ganzenko
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement, UPEM, 77454, 4508, Marne-la-Vallée, EA, France.
authors.forename: Clement
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trellu
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Via Di Biasio, 43, 03043, Cassino, FR, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Papirio
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement, UPEM, 77454, 4508, Marne-la-Vallée, EA, France.
authors.forename: Nihal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oturan
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement, UPEM, 77454, 4508, Marne-la-Vallée, EA, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huguenot
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement, UPEM, 77454, 4508, Marne-la-Vallée, EA, France.|Department of Environmental Engineering and Water Technology, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Westvest 7, DA 260, Delft, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Eric D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: van Hullebusch
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Via Di Biasio, 43, 03043, Cassino, FR, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement, UPEM, 77454, 4508, Marne-la-Vallée, EA, France. Mehmet.Oturan@univ-paris-est.fr.
authors.forename: Mehmet A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Oturan
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001688:Biological Products; D002110:Caffeine; D004345:Drug Industry; D004563:Electrochemistry; D005472:Fluorouracil; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D002110:Caffeine; D005472:Fluorouracil; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: 5-fluorouracil; Biological treatment; Caffeine; Combined process; Electro-Fenton; Pharmaceuticals