This study deals with the ozonation of amoxicillin in real pharmaceutical wastewater and its efficacy as a pre-treatment, prior to biological degradation by a mixed culture of bacteria in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). An ozone utilization of 0.27 g/g-COD (chemical oxygen demand) lowered the pH of the wastewater to 6.6, reduced the specific ultraviolet absorption by 43% and increased the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) concentration by 37%. The BOD:COD ratio became equal to 0.89, making the ozonated wastewater seemingly suitable for biological treatment; however, when the ozonated effluent was fed to the SBR, the reactor performance degraded, an effect which was attributed to ozonation by-products. In conclusion, ozonation might not be a suitable pre-treatment for pharmaceutical wastewater containing amoxicillin, and biotreatment with properly acclimated biomass may be a better option for treatment of such pharmaceutical wastewater.
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Research Article|
October 25 2013
Suitability of ozone pre-treatment for amoxicillin wastewater
O. Lefebvre;
1Centre for Water Research, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 1 Engineering Dr. 2, Singapore 117576
E-mail: [email protected]
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X. Shi;
X. Shi
1Centre for Water Research, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 1 Engineering Dr. 2, Singapore 117576
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J. G. Tein;
J. G. Tein
1Centre for Water Research, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 1 Engineering Dr. 2, Singapore 117576
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H. Y. Ng
H. Y. Ng
1Centre for Water Research, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 1 Engineering Dr. 2, Singapore 117576
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Water Sci Technol (2013) 68 (11): 2492–2496.
Article history
Received:
June 21 2013
Accepted:
August 27 2013
Citation
O. Lefebvre, X. Shi, J. G. Tein, H. Y. Ng; Suitability of ozone pre-treatment for amoxicillin wastewater. Water Sci Technol 1 December 2013; 68 (11): 2492–2496. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2013.534
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