Pharmaceutical wastewater treatment breakthrough: cleaner water, healthier environment!
Pharmaceutical wastewater was treated using O3 and O3/H2O2 oxidation. The researchers found that the best conditions for removing pollutants were pH 9.00, ozone flow of 5 g/h, and a reaction time of 90 min. O3/H2O2 oxidation was more effective than O3 alone, with removal rates of COD and TOC reaching 87.45% and 91.49% respectively. The treated wastewater met municipal network requirements, and its biodegradability improved. The removal of pollutants was mainly due to hydroxyl free radicals produced by the O3/H2O2 process. Using both COD and TOC as indicators accurately reflected the removal of organics in the wastewater.