TY - JOUR
T1 - Practical application of UVOX Redox® for pharmaceutical removal from liquid digestate in two biogas plants
AU - Moradi, Nazanin
AU - Lopez-Vazquez, Carlos
AU - Hernandez, Hector Garcia
AU - Proskynitopoulou, Vera
AU - Vouros, Anastasios
AU - Garagounis, Ioannis
AU - Lorentzou, Souzana
AU - Brdjanovic, Damir
AU - van Loosdrecht, Mark C.M.
AU - More Authors, null
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - In recent decades, there has been a growing focus on the management and valorization of digestate, primarily driven by its nutrient-rich composition, which positions it as a promising resource for biofertilizer production. However, several countries still restrict the direct application of digestate due to its potential environmental hazard, which includes the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) such as pharmaceuticals. This paper explores the efficacy of a novel UV/ozone-based technology, UVOX Redox®, in removing prevalent pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), from the digestate of two biogas plants. In both cases, UVOX showed to be a feasible solution for pharmaceutical removal from digestate. Addition of hydrogen peroxide further increased the process efficiency, achieving > 90% removal of all compounds within an hour. The energy per order (EEO) value for all the studied pharmaceuticals was less than the reported median EEO for O3 and UV treatment, showcasing notable energy efficiency in UVOX technology. Moreover, the research highlights that the presence of ions augments the removal efficiency when applying the UVOX technology. In addition, the research results revealed a significant correlation between the effectiveness of the UVOX technology and UV transmittance, with R² exceeding 90% for pharmaceuticals and 75% for Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC). This finding suggests that UV transmittance can serve as a viable surrogate method for implementing this advanced oxidation process in practical applications.
AB - In recent decades, there has been a growing focus on the management and valorization of digestate, primarily driven by its nutrient-rich composition, which positions it as a promising resource for biofertilizer production. However, several countries still restrict the direct application of digestate due to its potential environmental hazard, which includes the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) such as pharmaceuticals. This paper explores the efficacy of a novel UV/ozone-based technology, UVOX Redox®, in removing prevalent pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), from the digestate of two biogas plants. In both cases, UVOX showed to be a feasible solution for pharmaceutical removal from digestate. Addition of hydrogen peroxide further increased the process efficiency, achieving > 90% removal of all compounds within an hour. The energy per order (EEO) value for all the studied pharmaceuticals was less than the reported median EEO for O3 and UV treatment, showcasing notable energy efficiency in UVOX technology. Moreover, the research highlights that the presence of ions augments the removal efficiency when applying the UVOX technology. In addition, the research results revealed a significant correlation between the effectiveness of the UVOX technology and UV transmittance, with R² exceeding 90% for pharmaceuticals and 75% for Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC). This finding suggests that UV transmittance can serve as a viable surrogate method for implementing this advanced oxidation process in practical applications.
KW - Liquid digestate
KW - Pharmaceuticals
KW - Surrogate method
KW - UVOX Redox®
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85179584942&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.eti.2023.103473
DO - 10.1016/j.eti.2023.103473
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85179584942
SN - 2352-1864
VL - 33
JO - Environmental Technology and Innovation
JF - Environmental Technology and Innovation
M1 - 103473
ER -
