Thermocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) Using Hematite and Magnetite as a Reaction Catalyst

Abstract

This study investigates the thermal degradation of four pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and the influence that iron oxides such as hematite and magnetite have on degradation efficiency as catalysts. The four PPCPs include caffeine, ibuprofen, carbamazepine, and sulfamethoxazole. These contaminants are prevalent in wastewater and in surface water systems due to insufficient removal during wastewater treatment before release into natural waters. Results confirm that temperatures above 400°C are highly effective in degrading all tested PPCPs. However, the addition of hematite and magnetite as catalytic media significantly enhanced degradation efficiency at lower temperatures. The effectiveness of each catalyst varied depending on the PPCP: magnetite performed best with caffeine and carbamazepine, while hematite was more effective for ibuprofen and sulfamethoxazole. These differences in degradation efficiency are likely due to chemical properties of the PPCPs, as well as the physical characteristics of the catalysts, including surface area, crystalline structure, and the pH of the reaction environment