Relevance of Photocatalysis prior to Biological Treatment of Organic Pollutants – Selection Criteria

Abstract

Abstract The relevance of a photocatalytic pretreatment prior to a biological process for removal of organic pollutants was examined. Owing to the significant residual amount and toxicity, amitrole was not relevant. High mineralization allowed to remove bisphenol A and 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Isoproturon and diuron cannot be considered due to the slight evolution of chemical oxygen demand/total organic carbon (COD/TOC) and average oxidation state during irradiation. After photocatalysis, the ratio of biological oxygen demand (BOD 5 )/COD remained below the biodegradability limit (0.4) for the rest of the molecules. A favorable COD/TOC trend (decrease during irradiation) was recorded for dimethoate and antibiotics. However, dimethoate and sulfamethoxazole seemed not pertinent due to the long time span for their removal. Since a decrease of toxicity was only recorded for tylosine, it can be selected for subsequent tests.