Comparative behavior of relevant micropollutants in different water matrices by uv254 and simulated solar light irradiation and neutral photo-fenton process

This is a comparative study of photolytic degradation under exposure to UV254 nm and solar-simulator irradiation of a mixture of eight equally concentrated relevant micropollutants (atenolol, benzotriazole, clarithromycin, gabapentin, methylbenzotriazole, metformin, metoprolol and primidone; 2 µM of each compound) in the presence of H2O2 and Fe(II) in ultrapure water, Lake Geneva water, and effluent from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The results indicate that the oxidation rate increased in the presence of low-concentration H2O2 and Fe(II), except for metformin and methylbenzotriazole. Fenton and photo-Fenton employing sunlight simulation reached low micropollutant removal rates. The water matrix plays an important role on photodegradation reaction yields.