First synergistic application of photocatalysis by novel graphitic carbon nitride nanomaterial and low-temperature plasma technology for highly efficient removal of pharmaceuticals from real wastewater

IF 6.6 2区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL

Journal of water process engineering Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-29 DOI:10.1016/j.jwpe.2026.109545

František Zažímal , Anna Podmanická , Miriama Malček Šimunková , Zuzana Imreová , Shalu Atri , Alexandra Paulína Drdanová , Martin Markovič , Peter Kóóš , Olivier Monfort , Andrea Vojs Staňová , Tomáš Mackuľak , Tomáš Homola

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Abstract

This study investigates, for the first time, the combined application of visible-light photocatalysis using a novel graphitic carbon nitride (gCN) nanomaterial and low-temperature plasma generated in air by a multi-hollow surface dielectric barrier discharge (MSDBD) for the treatment of real wastewater effluent. The combined photocatalysis+plasma process exhibited high performance for a broad range of pharmaceutical compounds, with efficiencies that nearly achieved or exceeded the 80% removal threshold defined by the new EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 2024/3019 (EU UWWTD 2024/3019). Analysis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) demonstrated that the pollutant degradation in the combined photocatalysis+plasma system was primarily driven by plasma-generated species, such as ozone (O₃), nitrates (NO₃⁻), and nitrites (NO₂⁻), whereas the contributions of superoxide anion radical (O₂^-·) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generated by plasma and photocatalysis individually were minor. Fixation of ammonia in wastewater treated by MSDBD was not detected. The presence of gCN mitigated plasma-induced acidification, maintaining the wastewater pH near neutral. Investigation of the sulfamethoxazole (SMX) degradation pathway revealed an approximately 50% reduction in N4-acetyl-sulfamethoxazole, indicating partial mitigation of this persistent transformation product of environmental concern and underscoring the advantages of the combined plasma+photocatalytic process.

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首次将新型石墨氮化碳纳米材料与低温等离子体技术协同应用于光催化高效去除实际废水中的药物

本研究首次将新型石墨氮化碳（gCN）纳米材料与多空心表面介质阻挡放电（MSDBD）在空气中产生的低温等离子体在可见光催化下的结合应用于实际废水的处理。光催化+等离子体联合工艺对多种药物化合物表现出高性能，效率接近或超过欧盟城市废水处理指令2024/3019 （EU UWWTD 2024/3019）规定的80%的去除率。活性氧（ROS）分析表明，在光催化+等离子体联合系统中，污染物的降解主要由等离子体生成的臭氧（O3）、硝酸盐（NO3−）和亚硝酸盐（NO2−）驱动，而等离子体和光催化单独产生的超氧阴离子自由基（O2-·）和单态氧（1O2）的贡献较小。未检测到MSDBD处理废水中氨的固定作用。gCN的存在减轻了等离子体引起的酸化，使废水pH值保持在中性附近。对磺胺甲恶唑（SMX）降解途径的研究表明，n4 -乙酰-磺胺甲恶唑的含量减少了约50%，这表明这种持续转化产物的环境问题得到了部分缓解，并强调了等离子体+光催化联合工艺的优势。

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来源期刊

Journal of water process engineering Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Biotechnology

CiteScore

10.70

自引率

8.60%

发文量

846

审稿时长

24 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Water Process Engineering aims to publish refereed, high-quality research papers with significant novelty and impact in all areas of the engineering of water and wastewater processing . Papers on advanced and novel treatment processes and technologies are particularly welcome. The Journal considers papers in areas such as nanotechnology and biotechnology applications in water, novel oxidation and separation processes, membrane processes (except those for desalination) , catalytic processes for the removal of water contaminants, sustainable processes, water reuse and recycling, water use and wastewater minimization, integrated/hybrid technology, process modeling of water treatment and novel treatment processes. Submissions on the subject of adsorbents, including standard measurements of adsorption kinetics and equilibrium will only be considered if there is a genuine case for novelty and contribution, for example highly novel, sustainable adsorbents and their use: papers on activated carbon-type materials derived from natural matter, or surfactant-modified clays and related minerals, would not fulfil this criterion. The Journal particularly welcomes contributions involving environmentally, economically and socially sustainable technology for water treatment, including those which are energy-efficient, with minimal or no chemical consumption, and capable of water recycling and reuse that minimizes the direct disposal of wastewater to the aquatic environment. Papers that describe novel ideas for solving issues related to water quality and availability are also welcome, as are those that show the transfer of techniques from other disciplines. The Journal will consider papers dealing with processes for various water matrices including drinking water (except desalination), domestic, urban and industrial wastewaters, in addition to their residues. It is expected that the journal will be of particular relevance to chemical and process engineers working in the field. The Journal welcomes Full Text papers, Short Communications, State-of-the-Art Reviews and Letters to Editors and Case Studies