Vine-pruning waste derived catalyst for ibuprofen degradation from water through ozonation

Abstract

This work aimed to valorize vine shoots, for water treatment applications by investigating hydrochar materials in catalytic ozonation. For this purpose, a vine-pruning waste derived catalyst was synthesized via hydrothermal treatment at 200 °C, previous a cobalt impregnation step. The catalytic ozonation of the pharmaceutical ibuprofen showed 47 % higher degradation rate than single ozonation. However, the catalytic efficiency was reduced increasing the catalyst dose due to dissolved organic matter released during reaction. To address this issue, several chemical post-treatments were tested without effectiveness. Nevertheless, in the presence of a post-treated pyrolyzed catalyst at 550 °C (0.25 g/L), 86 % ibuprofen removal within just 1 min was achieved using 5 mg/L of ozone. The increase in BET surface area and the adsorption of ibuprofen on the material observed suggest a synergistic effect of both processes. Additionally, the effectiveness of the system was confirmed in a real aqueous matrix.