Estratègies per al tractament d'aigües biorecalcitrants mitjançant processos d'oxidació avançada. Estudis cinètics i mecanístics. Comparació de les eficiències depuratives i dels impactes ambientals

Abstract

Water availability and quality assigned to human activities is linked to the geographic latitude, longitude and altitude, as well as to the level of development and the typical culture of a specific area. In general terms, only around 0.6% of total water volume of the Earth is easily available. Consequently, there is a rise of international efforts centred to reduce its use/abuse, to its reutilization, and its pre/post-treatment. In the above context, this doctoral thesis is centred in the anthropogenic wastewater treatment. Specifically, it pays special attention to current water contamination by emergent contaminants since as some pharmaceutical compounds, its secondary metabolites, some cure personal products, etc. Some of they are characterized by its non-biodegradability and eco-toxicity; consequently they should be eliminated to water by means of alternative treatment to activate sludge process that it is a conventional biological treatment in the Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) are a potential solution for bioremediation. In this work, some AOPs have been carried out to treat some water contaminated with _-methyl-phenylglycine, a non-biodegradable compound that comes from pharmaceutical industry. Several AOPs (Fenton, solar photo-Fenton, electro-Fenton and solar photoelectro-Fenton), under different conditions, are used to rise water biodegradability. Time evolution of total carbon organic (TOC), hydrogen peroxide, main inorganic nitrogenated species are followed during the treatment. Moreover, main intermediates aromatic compounds and carboxylic acids are detected, postulating a degradative pathway. Environmental impact associated to above processes have been evaluated using as a tool the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Efficiency and environment sustainability are raised with the use of solar light. Alternatively, processes with the minor environmental impact are been choose to carry out a chemical-biological coupling treatment: AOP allows rise water biodegradability and with the biological treatment water depuration is finished. In addition, some AOP, under specific conditions, could be suggested to territories where water healthiness is questionable and where there aren't enough economic resources either infrastructure to build some WWTPs. The study has been carried out at laboratory level, so that it is necessary to take that the results are valid for this scale.

Date of Award	18 Jun 2010
Original language	Catalan
Supervisor	Jose Peral Perez (Director)