Comparison of Effectiveness of Cl2 /UV and PDS/Fe Advanced Oxidation Processes in Removing Diclofenac from the Aquatic Environment

The presence of many anthropogenic substances, including drugs, is a big problem for the environment. Many medicinal substances can have a negative effect on the natural environment. Therefore, methods of removing these substances from the environment are being sought. The so-called advanced oxidation processes can be useful in removing drugs from the aquatic environment. This work compares the effectiveness of two methods, classified as advanced oxidation processes, in removing diclofenac, a popular drug from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Two methods were selected for comparison – chlorine/UV method and the second using peroxydisulfate activated with iron(II) ions. Diclofenac was chosen as the model compound because of its relative resistance to oxidation. The results show that the chlorine/UV method is more effective in diclofenac removing (approx. 80% lower diclofenac content after the end of the experiment) compared to PDS/Fe(II) method (it removes approx. 20% of these substance), but it turns out that diclofenac is quite resistant to the effects of both methods of oxidation.