Toxicity and genotoxicity of hospital laundry wastewaters treated with photocatalytic ozonation

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 443; pp. 566 - 572
• Main Authors: Kern, Deivid I., Schwaickhardt, Rômulo de O., Mohr, Geane, Lobo, Eduardo A., Kist, Lourdes T., Machado, Ênio L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 15-01-2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Allium cepa; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Catalysis; Crack opening displacement; Daphnia magna; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental toxicology; Exact sciences and technology; Fresh water environment; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General purification processes; Genotoxicity; Hospital wastewater; Hospitals; Laundry Service, Hospital; Mutagens - toxicity; Oxygen demand; Ozone - chemistry; Photocatalysis; Photocatalytic ozonation; Photochemical Processes; Pollution; Reduction; Toxicity; Waste water; Waste Water - toxicity; Wastewaters; Water treatment and pollution; Environmental toxicology; Hospital wastewater; Photocatalytic ozonation; Genotoxicity; Advanced oxidation processes; Monocotyledones; Toxicity; Cladocera; Mutagen; Crustacea; Ozonization; Chemical oxygen demand; Angiospermae; Hospital; Branchiopoda; Photochemical degradation; Allium cepa; Ecotoxicology; Photocatalysis; Liliaceae; Arthropoda; DNA; Spermatophyta; Invertebrata; Waste water purification; Daphnia magna
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.11.023

The aim of the present study was to assess the efficiency of advanced oxidative processes based on photocatalytic ozonation (O3, UV, UV/O3, UV/O3/Fe2+ 50mgL−1 and 150mgL−1) in the treatment of hospital laundry wastewaters. The analysis of the investigated wastewater revealed high chemical oxygen demand (COD — 3343.8mgL−1), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5 — 1906.4mgL−1), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN — 79.8mgL−1) and Daphnia magna toxicity (EC50=1.73). Genotoxic effects were also detected for Allium cepa. Reductions of some parameters occurred after photocatalytic ozonation. The UV/O3/Fe2+ 150mgL−1 method was more efficient in reducing COD (59.1%), BOD5 (50.3%) and TKN (86.8%). There was significant reduction (p<0.05) in D. magna toxicity, O3 (EC50=47.3%), UV (EC50=50.6%) and UV/O3/Fe2+ 150mgL−1 (EC50=45.4%) processes. Normalization of the mitotic index and reduction of micronucleated cells were observed in A. cepa after the treatments. Results demonstrate that these methods were efficient in the degradation of hospital laundry wastewaters, representing a thriving alternative for the removal of pollutants that cause toxicity and genotoxicity.
► Study refers to hospital laundry wastewater treatment with wastewater. ► The photocatalytic properties were studied upon ozone and iron catalyzer. ► Genotoxic effects were also detected for A. cepa. ► The UV/O3/Fe2+ 150mgL−1 method was more efficient in reducing COD (59.1%), BOD (50.3%) and TKN (86.8%).