title: Combined use of VUV and UVC photoreactors for the treatment of hospital laundry wastewaters: Reduction of load parameters, detoxification and life cycle assessment of different configurations.
abstract: The present research investigated the treatment of hospital laundry wastewaters by the combined use of photochemical VUV and UVC reactors. Seven different configurations were tested and the performances of each of them were evaluated based on the removal of the load parameters, detoxification and life cycle assessment (LCA). The characterization of studied wastewaters included analysis of the following parameters: COD, BOD5, TKN, total P, pH, turbidity and conductivity. Acute ecotoxicity was evaluated using Daphnia magna. Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy was performed to determine the organic fraction and chromatography coupled to the mass spectrometer (GC-MS) was used for the qualitative characterization of priority pollutants. Characterization parameters showed the presence of drugs like lidocaine and dipyrone and a high organic load with a poor biodegradability. Wastewaters presented an extreme acute toxicity against D. magna (EC506.7%). The ozonation process (mainly generated by the VUV reactor) obtained the best results concerning the ratio between the consumed energy and the removed COD and the UVC process presented the lowest environmental impacts for the characterization and normalization parameters of the LCA. Normalization revealed that the highest environmental burdens were associated with human toxicity, ecotoxicity and eutrophication of surface waters as well as to the use of non-renewable resources. VUV/UVC/O3process presented the best results considering detoxification (EC50100%).
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Environmental Technology, University of Santa Cruz do Sul - UNISC, Av. Independência, 2293, CEP 96815-900 Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rômulo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Schwaickhardt
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Environmental Technology, University of Santa Cruz do Sul - UNISC, Av. Independência, 2293, CEP 96815-900 Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Electronic address: enio@unisc.br.
authors.forename: Ênio Leandro
authors.initials: ÊL
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Environmental Technology, University of Santa Cruz do Sul - UNISC, Av. Independência, 2293, CEP 96815-900 Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Electronic address: carlosalexandre@unisc.br.
authors.forename: Carlos Alexandre
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lutterbeck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003621:Daphnia / Q000187:drug effects; D007847:Laundry Service, Hospital; D010126:Ozone; D058433:Photobioreactors; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D010126:Ozone; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Detoxification; Hospital laundry wastewater; Life cycle assessment; Ozone; Photodegradation