Theoretical insights of the pharmaceutical compound fluoxetine in water: Role in direct photolysis and indirect photolysis by free radicals

The frequent detection of pharmaceutical compounds in the environment has led to a growing awareness, which may pose a major threat to the aquatic environment. In this study, photodegradation (direct and indirect photolysis) of two different dissociation states of fluoxetine (FLU) was investigated in water, mainly including the determination of photolytic transition states and products, and the mechanisms of indirect photodegradation with ·OH, CO3*- and NO3*. The main direct photolysis pathways are defluorination and C-C bond cleavage. In addition, the indirect photodegradation of FLU in water is mainly through the reactions with ·OH and NO3*, and the photodegradation reaction with CO3*- is relatively difficult to occur in the water environment. Our results provide a theoretical basis for understanding the phototransformation process of FLU in the water environment and assessing its potential risk.

A comparative study of programs to predict direct photolysis rates in wastewater systems

A wide range of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are known to photodegrade in the surface layers of natural waters and wastewater systems. Computer programs such as GCSolar, ABIWAS, APEX, EXAMS and WASP model the direct photolysis rates and half-lives of CECs, usually as a function of the solar irradiance, water molar light extinction, chemical molar light absorption and reaction quantum yield. These programs have been used extensively for studies in natural water systems in the northern hemisphere. However, their applicability to wastewater treatment systems such as waste stabilisation ponds and/or southern hemisphere conditions is not well studied. Here we present a comparative review of the major software used and their potential applicability to predicting direct photolysis rates and half-lives in wastewater. The newer equivalent monochromatic wavelength, approach, which enables the approximation of polychromatic photodegradation via a monochromatic wavelength is also discussed. Current software appears to be less suitable for modelling photodegradation in wastewater systems in the southern hemisphere than the northern hemisphere as their internal databases are based on data from natural waters in the northern hemisphere. This may be because there have been few attempts to model CEC photolysis in wastewater systems, particularly in the southern hemisphere. This indicates that either new software needs to be developed, or these programs need to be updated with data on wastewater matrices and/or the southern hemisphere. We anticipate this review will promote the adaptation of these programs as tools to further the understanding CEC photodegradation in wastewater treatment plants.

A mini review on microwave and contemporary based biohydrogen production technologies: a comparison

Hydrogen gas, along with conventional fossil fuels, has been used as a green fuel with enormous potential. Due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, a new dimension of hydrogen production technology has arrived to reduce reliance on nonrenewable energy sources. Microwave-based hydrogen production is a more promising and cost-effective technology than other existing green hydrogen production methods such as fermentation and gasification. Microwave heating may be superior to traditional heating due to several advantages such as less power consumption compared to other methods, higher yield, and a higher rate of conversion. Compared to another process for hydrogen production, the microwave-driven process worked efficiently at lower temperatures by providing more than 70% yield. The process of production can be optimized by using properly sized biomass, types of biomass, water flow, temperature, pressure, and reactor size. This method is the most suitable, attractive, and efficient technique for hydrogen production in the presence of a suitable catalyst. Hot spots formed by microwave irradiation would have a substantial impact on the yield and properties of microwave-processed goods. The current techno-economic situation of various technologies for hydrogen production is discussed here, with cost, efficiency, and durability being the most important factors to consider. The present review shows that a cost-competitive hydrogen economy will necessitate continual efforts to increase performance, scale-up, technical prospects, and political backing.

Freezing degradation of the anticonvulsant oxcarbazepine by bromate in water ice under sunlight irradiation

Ice plays a crucial role in contaminant transformation in seasonally ice-covered waters. In this study, the characteristics and mechanisms of an emerging contaminant oxcarbazepine (OXC) degradation by a disinfection by-product bromate ( [Formula: see text] ) in ice were explored via combined experiments and theoretical calculations. Results showed that 74.0 % and 86.4 % of OXC was degraded by [Formula: see text] in ice after 140 min in dark and 120 min under solar irradiation, respectively, while the reaction was negligible in water. The oxidation-reduction potential of [Formula: see text] solution at 1000 μmol L-1 was 56.9 % higher than that at 50 μmol L-1. The oxidation-reduction potential of [Formula: see text] solution at pH 2 was 14.8 %-109.5 % higher than those at other pH values. Enhanced OXC degradation by [Formula: see text] in ice could be attributed to increased [Formula: see text] oxidation capacity resulting from locally elevated [Formula: see text] and H+ concentrations. Hypobromous acid (HOBr), •OH, and Br• generated by direct photolysis under solar irradiation further promoted the OXC degradation in ice. Br• formed by the direct photolysis of accumulated HOBr under solar irradiation caused the generation of bromine-containing degradation products. Bromine-containing degradation products possessed higher potential toxicities, which could contribute to increase the secondary pollution of water environment.

Comparison of photocatalysis and photolysis of 2,2,4,4-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47): Operational parameters, kinetic studies, and data validation using three modern machine learning models

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are halogenated organic compounds that are among the major pollutants of water, and there is an urgent need for their removal. This work compared the application of two techniques, i.e., photocatalytic reaction (PCR) and photolysis (PL), for 2,2,4,4- tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) degradation. Although a limited degradation of BDE-47 was observed by photolysis (LED/N₂), photocatalytic oxidation by using TiO₂/LED/N₂ proved to be effective in the degradation of BDE-47. The use of a photocatalyst enhanced the extent of BDE-47 degradation by around 10% at optimum conditions in anaerobic systems. Experimental results were systematically validated through modeling with three new and powerful Machine Learning (ML) approaches, including Gradient Boosted Decision Tree (GBDT), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and Symbolic Regression (SBR). Four statistical criteria (Coefficient of Determination (R²), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Average Relative Error (ARER), and Absolute Error (ABER)) were calculated for model validation. Among the applied models, the developed GBDT was the desirable model for predicting the remaining concentration (Ce) of BDE-47 for both processes. Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) results confirmed that BDE-47 mineralization required additional time than its degradation in both PCR and PL systems. The kinetic study demonstrated that BDE-47 degradation for both processes followed the pseudo-first-order form of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) model. More importantly, the calculated electrical energy consumption of photolysis was shown to be ten percent higher than that for photocatalysis, possibly due to the higher irradiation time required in direct photolysis, which in turn increases electricity consumption. This study is useful in proposing a feasible and promising treatment process for the degradation of BDE-47.

Phototransformation of the fungicide tebuconazole, and its predicted fate in sunlit surface freshwaters

The fungicide tebuconazole (TBCZ) is expected to undergo negligible direct photolysis in surface freshwaters, but it can be degraded by indirect photochemistry. TBCZ mainly reacts with hydroxyl radicals and, to a lesser extent, with the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (³CDOM*). Indirect photochemistry is strongly affected by environmental conditions, and TBCZ lifetimes of about one week are expected in sunlit surface waters under favourable circumstances (shallow waters with low concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, DOC, during summer). In these cases, the time trend would follow pseudo-first order kinetics (mono-exponential decay). Under less favourable conditions, photoinduced degradation would span over a few or several months, and TBCZ phototransformation would depart from an exponential trend because of seasonally changing sunlight irradiance. The TBCZ phototransformation products should be less toxic than their parent compound,thus photodegradation has potential to decrease the environmental impact of TBCZ. Hydroxylation is a major TBCZ transformation route, due to either OH attack, or one-electron oxidation sensitised by ³CDOM*, followed by reaction of the oxidised transient with oxygen and water.

UVC-induced degradation of cilastatin in natural water and treated wastewater

This work reports for the first time the UVC photodegradation of cilastatin, a renal dehydropeptidase inhibitor co-adminstered with the imipenem antibiotic. Initially, solutions of cilastatin at varying concentrations were prepared in ultra-pure water and the direct photolysis of cilastatin was monitored under 254-nm irradiation. Degradation was slower at higher initial cilastatin concentrations, due to absorption saturation. Of the different eluting photoproducts, only one was tentatively identified as oxidized cilastatin bearing a sulfoxide group. UV-254 photolysis occurred faster at lower pH values, because the protonated forms of the molecule (H₃A⁺, H₂A) have both higher absorption coefficients and higher photolysis quantum yields than the non-protonated ones (HA^-, A^2-). The direct photolysis of cilastatin does not involve ^•OH, as excluded by experiments in which t-butanol was added as ^•OH scavenger, whereas the presence of humic acids inhibited photolysis due to competition for radiation absorption. The same explanation partially accounts for the observation that the photolysis kinetics of cilastatin was slower in tap water, river water and treated wastewater samples compared to ultra-pure water. Moreover, the direct photolysis quantum yield was also lower in water matrices compared to ultra-pure water. Similar findings reported for triclosan and the herbicide 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid in previous studies might suggest that the water matrix components could carry out either physical quenching of cilastatin's excited states or back-reduction to cilastatin of the partially oxidized degradation intermediates. Overall, the present results demonstrate that UVC irradiation is a fast and efficient process for the degradation of cilastatin in natural water and treated wastewater.

Modeling in-stream attenuation of N-nitrosodimethylamine and formaldehyde during urban river transportation based on seasonal and diurnal variation

Disinfection by-products (DBPs) discharged from sewage treatment plants (STPs) could harm downstream receiving waters and drinking water resources. In-stream attenuation of photo- and non-photodegradable DBPs during river transportation is currently not well understood. Here we sought to fill this knowledge gap by meta-data-analysis for modeling in-stream attenuation of DBPs. Data were collected along a treated-wastewater-dominated 1.6-km stretch of a river channel for 3 years and incorporated seasonal and diurnal patterns. Photo-irradiation and water temperature were the main factors responsible for in-stream attenuation of photodegradable N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), and water temperature for that of non-photodegradable formaldehyde (FAH). The factors were incorporated into photo-dependent and -independent models to account for temporal variations in NDMA and FAH, respectively. Estimated mass recoveries of NDMA and FAH agreed well with observed values along the stretch. The models developed here offer a novel and useful tool for estimating levels of NDMA and FAH during river transportation.

Geographical and temporal assessment of the photochemical decontamination potential of river waters from agrochemicals: A first application to the Piedmont region (NW Italy)

This work shows the potential of using photochemical modelling to assess the river-water ability to photodegrade agrochemicals on a geographic and temporal scale. The case of flowing water requires different data treatment compared to more stationary water bodies (e.g., lakes), but it could allow for the identification of particularly vulnerable environments. Five pesticides were considered here, and the photodegradation rate followed the order bentazon > isoproturon > dimethomorph ∼ chlortoluron > atrazine. The modelled photodegradation kinetics was particularly fast in the river Po, which receives significant input of agricultural nitrate from groundwater and features higher steady-state [^•OH] than most other rivers in the region. The fact that the Po eventually collects all river waters in Piedmont is positive, from the point of view of comprehensive photodegradation of pesticides. However, this paradoxical situation of agricultural pollution (nitrate) helping fight pollution from the same source (pesticides) has two important limitations: (i) when compared to the parent compounds, some intermediates deriving from ^•OH reactions are either more harmful (N-formyl derivatives of phenylureas), or about as harmful (desethyl atrazine); (ii) banned atrazine is no longer sprayed over fields during the plant growth season, but it reaches surface waters from legacy groundwater inputs. The latter are operational also during winter, when photochemistry is least active. Therefore, photochemistry might not ensure considerable attenuation of atrazine during wintertime. Overall, bentazon would be the safest among the studied pesticides because of fast degradation by direct photolysis, and of low ecotoxicological impact of its phototransformation intermediates.

Formation of free radicals by direct photolysis of halogenated phenols (HPs) and effects of DOM: A case study on monobromophenols

The free radicals play an important role to understand direct/indirect transformation mechanisms of organic pollutants. However, very few efforts have been made to elucidate the radicals produced by direct photolysis. In this study, the short-lived radicals generated under simulated sunlight irradiation from representative halogenated phenols (HPs), monobromophenols, were investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The results showed that three radicals, carbon-centered radical (C), hydrogen radical (H) and hydroxyl radical (OH), were generated from the direct irradiation of HPs. Compared to other substitutions, halogenated atom at para-position led to the highest production of these radicals which is in accordance with the energies calculated by density functional theory. Based on the analyses of the reactive species and corresponding intermediate adducts, the possible reaction pathways for these radicals were tentatively proposed. Dissolved organic matters (DOM) could enhance the photodegradation of HPs by directly affecting the radicals' formation, mainly due to generation of excited triplet DOM (³DOM*). A positive correlation was found between the concentrations of hydrated electron and the steady state ³DOM* from different DOM. Our findings provided insights into environmental photochemical fate of HPs through their direct photolysis and will help more accurately understand their phototransformation mechanisms in the environment.

Monitoring photolysis and (solar photo)-Fenton of enrofloxacin by a methodology involving EEM-PARAFAC and bioassays: Role of pH and water matrix

The degradation of enrofloxacin (ENR) by direct photolysis, Fenton and solar photo-Fenton processes has been studied in different water matrices, such as ultra-pure water (MQ), tap water (TW) and highly saline water (SW). Reactions have been conducted at initial pH 2.8 and 5.0. At pH = 2.8, HPLC analyses showed a fast removal of ENR by (solar photo)-Fenton treatments in all studied water matrices, whereas a 40% removal was observed after 120 min of photolysis. However, TOC measurements showed that only solar photo-Fenton was able to produce significant mineralization (80% after 120 min of treatment); differences between ENR removal and mineralization can be attributed to the release of important amounts of reaction by-products. Excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) combined with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) were employed to gain further insight into the nature of these by-products and their time-course profile, obtaining a 5-component model. EEM-PARAFAC results indicated that photolysis is not able to produce important changes in the fluoroquinolone structure, in sharp contrast with (solar photo)-Fenton, where decrease of the components associated with fluoroquinolone core was observed. Agar diffusion tests employing E. coli and S, aureus showed that the antibiotic activity decreased in parallel with the destruction of the fluoroquinolone core.

UV direct photolysis of halogenated disinfection byproducts: Experimental study and QSAR modeling

UV direct photolysis has been used as a promising process to remove halogenated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) generated in water. In this study, experimental studies and modeling approaches were applied to investigate the UV direct photolysis rate constants for 40 kinds of halogenated DBPs. The fluence-based pseudo-first-order rate constants for the removal of halogenated DBPs under UV photolysis spanned more than 2 orders of magnitude, with a range of (0.23-29.84) × 10^-4 cm² mJ^-1. DBPs with higher number of halogenated substituents featured higher photolysis rate constants. The degradation efficiencies of DBPs were also affected by the species of halogen substituents, which followed the trend of iodo- > bromo- > chloro- DBPs. A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model was established on the basis of the observed degradation rate constant values, which contained a quantum-chemical descriptor (E_LUMO-E_HOMO) and a molecular descriptor (Eta_C). The calculated parameters of the developed model indicated its good robustness and high reliability. The developed QSAR model can predict the degradation rate constants for DBPs within factors of 1/3 to 3. The model was validated using application domain and visualized in a Williams plot. The selected descriptors for QSAR model can explain the reaction mechanism for UV direct photolysis.

Influence of chemical speciation on photochemical transformation of three fluoroquinolones (FQs) in water: Kinetics, mechanism, and toxicity of photolysis products

This study investigated the contribution of direct, indirect, and self-sensitized photolysis to the photochemical fate of three model fluoroquinolones (FQs), i.e., lomefloxacin (LOM), norfloxacin (NOR), and ofloxacin (OFL), and demonstrated the influence of chemical speciation on their photodegradation behavior, a topic that has received relatively little attention. Results suggest that these FQs in water transformed mainly via direct photolysis, while hydroxyl radical played a key role in their indirect and self-sensitized photolysis. Chemical speciation of such zwitterionic compounds significantly affected the kinetics of their phototransformation, with the quantum yields of photodegradation decreased in the order of zwitterionic (FQsH) > anionic (FQs^-) > cationic (FQsH₂⁺). The photodegradation pathways of FQs depended on both their structures and chemical speciation. Defluorination for LOM in C-8 and NOR in C-6 was more significant when they were present in zwitterionic form than in the other forms. Cationic FQs underwent direct piperazinyl ring cleavage, and zwitterionic ones underwent piperazinyl ring oxidation, while the degradation pathway of piperazinyl ring for FQs in anionic form was structure dependent. Decarboxylation for zwitterionic FQs occurred more slowly compared to both cationic and anionic ones, and the FQs bearing electron-donating groups in C-8 position degraded more easily in cationic form than the anionic ones, while the opposite was true for the FQs without such a group in C-8 position. Results of Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition tests showed the toxicity of zwitterionic NOR and OFL significantly decreased after photodegradation, while the degradation products of LOM exhibited greater toxicity. These findings indicate that chemical speciation of zwitterionic compounds could affect the kinetics and pathways of their photochemical transformation, and thus have important implications on their fate and risk in aquatic environment.

Removal of organic matter of electrodialysis reversal brine from a petroleum refinery wastewater reclamation plant by UV and UV/H202 process

Direct (UV) and hydrogen peroxide-assisted (UV/H₂O₂) photolysis were investigated in bench-scale for removing the organic compounds present in the electrodialysis reversal (EDR) brine from a refinery wastewater reclamation plant. In the UV/H₂O₂ experiments, a COD:H₂O₂ molar ratios of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 were tested by recirculating the brine in the UV reactor for 120 min. Results showed a significant reduction in UVA₂₅₄, whereas no reduction was observed for chemical oxygen demand (COD), in the UV process, suggesting great cleavage but limited mineralization of the organic matter. UV/H₂O₂ with C:H₂O₂ ratio of 1:3 exhibited high efficiency in removing the organic matter (COD removal of 92% with an electrical energy per removal order (E_EO) value of 22 kW h m^-3). Although the EDR brine has high salinity, no strong scavenging effect of •OH was found in the water matrix due to the high concentration of anions, especially chloride and bicarbonate. Finally, UV/H₂O₂ with C:H₂O₂ ratio of 1:3 and residence time of 120 min is an efficient alternative for organic matter removal of EDR brine from refinery wastewater reclamation plant showing total capital cost (CapEx) estimated at US$ 369,653.00 and total operational cost (OpEx), at US$ 1.772 per cubic meter of effluent.

The different fate of antibiotics in the Thames River, UK, and the Katsura River, Japan

Little is known about the mechanisms influencing the differences in attenuation of antibiotics between rivers. In this study, the natural attenuation of four antibiotics (azithromycin, clarithromycin, sulfapyridine, and sulfamethoxazole) during transport along the Thames River, UK, over a distance of 8.3 km, and the Katsura River, Japan, over a distance of 7.6 km was compared. To assist interpretation of the field data, the individual degradation and sorption characteristics of the antibiotics were estimated by laboratory experiments using surface water or sediment taken from the same rivers. Azithromycin, clarithromycin, and sulfapyridine were attenuated by 92, 48, and 11% in the Thames River stretch. The first-order decay constants of azithromycin and sulfapyridine were similar to those in the Katsura River, while that of clarithromycin was 4.4 times higher. For sulfamethoxazole, the attenuation was limited in both rivers. Loss of sulfapyridine was attributed to both direct and indirect photolysis in the Thames River, but to only direct photolysis in the Katsura River. Loss of azithromycin and clarithromycin was attributed to sorption to sediment in both rivers. The probable explanation behind the difference in loss rates of clarithromycin between the two rivers was considered to be sediment sorption capacity.

Modelling the photochemical attenuation pathways of the fibrate drug gemfibrozil in surface waters

Gemfibrozil (GFZ) is a relatively persistent pollutant in surface-water environments and it is rather recalcitrant to biological degradation. The GFZ photochemical lifetimes are relatively short in shallow waters with low levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), but they can reach the month-year range in deep and high-DOC waters. The main reason is that GFZ undergoes negligible reaction with singlet oxygen or degradation sensitised by the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter, which are the usually prevalent photochemical pathways in deep and high-DOC sunlit waters. Nitrate and nitrite scarcely affect the overall GFZ lifetimes, but they can shift photodegradation from direct photolysis to the OH process. These two pathways are the main GFZ phototransformation routes, with the direct photolysis prevailing in shallow environments during summer. Under these conditions the GFZ photochemical lifetimes are also shorter and the environmental significance of photodegradation correspondingly higher. The direct photolysis of GFZ under UVB irradiation yielded several transformation intermediates deriving from oxidation or cleavage of the aliphatic lateral chain. A quinone derivative (2,5-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone), a likely oxidation product of the transformation intermediate 2,5-dimethylphenol, is expected to be the most acutely and chronically toxic compound arising from GFZ direct photolysis. Interestingly, literature evidence suggests that the same toxic intermediate would be formed upon OH reaction.

The effect of Cu(2+) chelation on the direct photolysis of oxytetracycline: A study assisted by spectroscopy analysis and DFT calculation

The extensive usage of OTC and Cu(2+) in livestock and poultry industry caused high residues in natural environment. Co-contamination of OTC and Cu(2+) was a considerable environmental problem in surface waters. In this study, Cu(2+) mediated direct photolysis of OTC was studied. Cu(2+) chelating with OTC was found to greatly inhibit OTC photodegradation. To reveal the chelation mechanism of OTC-Cu complexes, multiple methods including UV-Vis absorption spectra, Infrared (IR) spectra, mass spectroscopy, and density functional theoretical (DFT) modeling were performed. Four OTC-Cu complexes were proposed. Cu(2+) preferably bond to O11O12 site with the binding constants logK = 8.19 and 7.86 for CuHL+ and CuL±, respectively. The second chelating site was suggested to be O2O3 with the binding constants of logK = 4.41 and 4.62 for Cu2HL3+ and Cu2L2+, respectively. The suppressed quantum yield of OTC by Cu2+ chelation was accused for their intra-/inter-molecular electron transfer, by which the energy in activated states was distributed. The occurrence of electron transfer between BCD ring and A ring also from BCD ring to Cu was evidenced by the TD-DFT result only for the OTC-Cu complexes. Besides, the cyclic voltammetry measurement also suggested one OTC-Cu(II)/OTC-Cu(I) redox couple. These results suggested that the persistence of OTC in environmental surface waters will probably be underestimated for neglecting the chelating effect of Cu2+. The photolysis quantum yield of OTC-Cu complexes, as well as the specific molar absorption constants, the equilibrium binding constants of Cu2+ with OTC could contribute to more accurate kinetic models of OTC.

Direct photolysis of MeO-PBDEs in water and methanol: focusing on cyclization product MeO-PBDFs

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hydroxylated PBDEs can transform into polybrominated dibenzofurans (PBDFs) via photocyclization. However, it is unclear whether methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs) can photocyclize to form MeO-PBDFs. In this study, 5-MeO-BDE-47, 5'-MeO-BDE-99 and 6-MeO-BDE-85 were selected as models to investigate their direct photolysis, especially photocyclization in two solvent environments (water and methanol) using simulated photochemical experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The experimental results showed that MeO-PBDEs had faster direct photolysis reactions and higher quantum yields in methanol, and MeO-PBDFs could only be formed in a methanol solution of 5-MeO-BDE-47. The DFT results indicated that the lowest excited triplet state MeO-PBDEs can form dibenzofurans via direct cyclization pathways. Intra-annular H-elimination was found to be the rate-determining step for most cyclization pathways with high reaction barriers (⩾19.7kcal/mol), while 5-MeO-BDE-47 was found to have a distinct pathway for which the rate-determining step is ring closure with a low barrier (13.8kcal/mol) in a methanol environment. For this pathway, H-elimination assisted by Br cleaved from an ortho-C-Br bond was observed with a 2.0kcal/mol barrier. Thus, the DFT results reasonably explained the experimental findings, and the photocyclization of MeO-PBDEs depended on the specific Br-substitution patterns and specific effects of the environmental media.

Degradation of emerging contaminants from water under natural sunlight: The effect of season, pH, humic acids and nitrate and identification of photodegradation by-products

Both photodegradation and hydrolysis of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were investigated in order to evaluate their photochemical fate in aquatic environment and to assess the effect of season and specific characteristics of water (pH, humic acids and nitrate concentration) on the removal of target EDCs and NSAIDs through photodegradation. An additional objective was the identification of the photodegradation by-products of specific NSAIDs and their dependence on irradiation time. Selected compounds' transformation was investigated under natural sunlight radiation while control experiments were conducted in the dark. As expected, most of compounds' degradation rate decreased with decreasing light intensity between two different experimental periods. Most of the tested compounds exhibited different rates of degradation during direct and indirect photolysis. The degradation rate of the selected compounds increased in the presence of NO3(-) and the photodegradation rate was higher for some compounds in alkaline than in acidic solution. The effect of humic acids' presence in the water depends on the absorbance spectrum of the compound and the produced photosensitizers. More specifically, humic acids act as inner filter toward most of the selected NSAIDs and as photosensitizers toward most of the EDCs. The results of the irradiation experiments in the presence of both humic acids and NO3(-), indicate that the direct photolysis is much more efficient than indirect photochemical processes. Finally, several degradation by-products of ketoprofen and diclofenac were identified in the samples, exposed to sunlight. The dependence of these by-products on radiation time is also demonstrated.

A model assessment of the importance of direct photolysis in the photo-fate of cephalosporins in surface waters: Possible formation of toxic intermediates

The direct and indirect photodegradation of six cephalosporins was predicted using a photochemical model, on the basis of literature values of photochemical reactivity. Environmental photodegradation would be important in surface water bodies with depth ⩽ 2-3m, and/or in deeper waters with low values of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC ⩽ 1 mg C L(-1)). The half-life times would range from a few days to a couple of weeks in summertime. In deeper and higher-DOC waters and/or in different seasons, hydrolysis could prevail over photodegradation. The direct photolysis of cephalosporins is environmentally concerning because it is known to produce toxic intermediates. It would be a major pathway for cefazolin, an important one for amoxicillin and cefotaxime and, at pH<6.5, for cefapirin as well. In contrast, direct photolysis would be negligible for cefradine and cefalexin. The DOC values would influence the fraction of photodegradation accounted for by direct photolysis in shallow water, to a different extent depending on the role of sensitisation by the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter.

New insights into the environmental photochemistry of 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol (triclosan): reconsidering the importance of indirect photoreactions

Triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol) is a widely used antimicrobial agent that undergoes fairly slow biodegradation. It is often found in surface waters in both the acidic (HTric) and basic (Tric(-)) forms (pKa ∼8), and it can undergo direct photodegradation to produce several intermediates including a dioxin congener (2,8-dichlorodibenzodioxin, hereafter 28DCDD). The latter is formed from Tric(-) and causes non-negligible environmental concern. Differently from current literature reports, in this paper we show that the direct photolysis would not be the only important transformation pathway of triclosan in surface waters. This is particularly true for HTric, which could undergo very significant reactions with (•)OH and, if the laser-derived quenching rate constants of this work are comparable to the actual reaction rate constants, with the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter ((3)CDOM*). Model calculations suggest that reaction with (3)CDOM* could be the main HTric phototransformation pathway in deep waters with high dissolved organic carbon (DOC), while reaction with (•)OH could prevail in low-DOC waters. In the case of Tric(-) the direct photolysis is much more important than for HTric, but triplet-sensitised transformation could produce 28DCDD + 27DCDD with higher yield compared to the direct photolysis, and it could play some role as dioxin source in deep waters with elevated DOC.

Photodegradation of gallic acid under UV irradiation: insights regarding the pH effect on direct photolysis and the ROS oxidation-sensitized process of DOM

In this study, the degradation of gallic acid (GA), a model compound for dissolved organic matter (DOM) in controlled UV/N2, UV/air, UV/Fe(3+)/N2, and UV/Fe(3+)/air systems was investigated to elucidate the contribution of direct photolysis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) oxidation to GA degradation at various pH values. In general, the order of the degradation rate of GA in these four systems was as follows: UV/Fe(3+)/air>UV/air>UV/Fe(3+)/N2≈UV/N2. In the UV/N2 system, GA underwent slow direct photolysis, the rate of which decreased with decreasing pH. In the UV/Fe(3+)/air system, the most rapid GA degradation was achieved at pH 5. ROS are mainly derived from two sources. The first source is attributed to the role of DO and the other is attributed to the interaction of Fe(3+) and DO. The contribution of ROS to GA oxidation is much greater (>71%) than that of direct photolysis (<29%) at each pH value and is most obvious at pH 5. H2O2 formation was detected during GA degradation in the UV/air and UV/Fe(3+)/air systems. Using ROS scavengers, it was found that oxidation by OH was the main mechanism of GA degradation in the UV/Fe(3+)/air system. Based on the experimental results, a mechanism for GA degradation and ROS formation involving the effect of pH was proposed. This study furthers our understanding of changes in DOM degradation mechanisms due to global acidification.

Photodegradation of iodinated trihalomethanes in aqueous solution by UV 254 irradiation

Photodegradation of 6 iodinated trihalomethanes (ITHMs) under UV irradiation at 254 nm was investigated in this study. ITHMs underwent a rapid photodegradation process through cleavage of carbon-halogen bond with first-order rate constants in the range of 0.1-0.6 min(-1). The effects of matrix species including nitrate, humic acid (HA), bicarbonate, sulfate, and chloride were evaluated. The degradation rate increased slightly in the presence of nitrate possibly due to generation of HO at a low quantum yield via direct photolysis of nitrate, while HA lowered the photodegradation rate of ITHMs due to its competitive UV absorption. Moreover, bicarbonate, sulfate, and chloride had no significant effect on photodegradation kinetics, as there is no UV absorption for these 3 species. In the study using surface water, treated water, and secondary effluent from a wastewater treatment plant, high turbidity and natural organic matters present in the water inhibited the photodegradation of ITHMs. The degradation rates of 6 ITHMs in UV/H2O2 system were rather comparable and significantly higher than those achieved in the UV system without H2O2. To develop a quantitative structure-reactivity relationship (QSAR) model, the logarithm of measured first-order rate constants was correlated with a number of molecular descriptors. The best correlation was obtained with a combination of 3 molecular descriptors, namely the bond strength of carbon-halogen to be broken in the rate-determining step, steric and electronic effects of all substituents to the carbon center.