Work

Enhanced degradation of pharmaceutical in real wastewater via peroxydisulphate addition in a pulsed corona discharge process

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Removal of pharmaceuticals from water is a major challenge for water and chemical engineers worldwide. Low detected levels of these emerging pollutants require application of advanced treatment processes. Among them, pulsed corona discharge (PCD) is a promising solution. In this study, performance of gas-phase pilot scale PCD with addition of potassium peroxydisulphate (PS) was investigated. The effluents from municipal wastewater treatment plant – containing 24 native pharmaceuticals at the total concentration of approximately 10 mg L-1 – were treated. PCD was evaluated at two pulse frequencies–low (200 pulses per second, (pps)) and high (833 pps)–under three PS concentrations (0, 1 and 10 mg L-1) to determine the removal efficiency of pharmaceuticals. Low-frequency PCD showed 36 % higher total removal of pharmaceuticals than the high-frequency PCD, at the same delivered energy (340 Whm-3). Addition of 10 mg L-1 of PS increased removal efficiency of both low- and high-frequency PCD by around 20 %. A 94 % removal of pharmaceuticals was achieved using low-frequency PCD combined with PS addition at 400 Whm-3. PS addition led to an increased energy yield for 50 % removal of pharmaceuticals. In low-frequency PCD, it increased from 26.4·10-3 g kWh-1 to 44.1·10-3 g kWh-1 when 10.7 mg L-1 of PS was added. We compered operational costs for low-frequency PCD alone and with PS addition under two electricity price scenarios. At a high electricity price 0.2 € kWh-1, addition of PS cuts LF PCD effluent treatment costs from ~0.07 € m-3 to ~0.05 € m-3, leading to annual savings of 100k€.

Source: Chemical Engineering Journal

DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2026.175858

Authors: Kinga Skalska-Tuomi, Alexander Sokolov, Maria W. Skalska-Tuomi, Mika Mänttäri

Institutions: Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, University of Eastern Finland, UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Language: English

Topic: Advanced oxidation water treatment

Subfield: Water Science and Technology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Clean water and sanitation, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,830