The research into the aqueous photocatalytic oxidation of the anti-inflammatory drug prednisolone was undertaken with P25 titanium dioxide (Evonik) and visible light-sensitive sol-gel synthesized titania-based photocatalysts containing carbon, sulphur, and iron. Photocatalytic oxidation was found to be effective method for prednisolone degradation. Possible prednisolone photocatalytic oxidation reaction pathways were proposed based on a number of oxidation by-products determined in present study using HPLC-MS.  Prednisolone adsorption properties, effects of initial prednisolone concentration, pH, usual wastewater matrix admixtures, like urea and sucrose, were studied. The nontoxicity of doped catalysts towards Tetrahymena thermophila, a ciliate protozoa present in the activated sludge, indicated their lower oxidative ability compared to P25, but also implied their potential application in pre-treatment of toxic hazardous materials under VIS or solar radiation before biological degradation stage.

Aqueous photocatalytic oxidation of prednisolone

245th National Meeting (2013)

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