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In the current work, the hybrid process potential of ultrasound (US) and electro-Fenton (EF), named sono-electro-Fenton (SEF), was fully investigated for sulfadiazine (SDZ) degradation. The decontamination in the integration approach was revealed to be greater than in individual procedures, i.e., EF process (roughly 66%) and US process (roughly 15%). The key operating process factors (i.e., applied voltage, H2O2 content, pH, initial concentration of SDZ, and reaction time) affecting SDZ removal were evaluated and optimized using Box-Behnken Design (BBD). In addition, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) as an efficient predictive model was applied to forecast the decontamination efficiency of SDZ through the SEF process based on the same findings produced from BBD. The results revealed that the predictability of SDZ elimination by the ANFIS and BBD approaches exhibited an excellent agreement (a greater R2 of 0.99%) among the both models. Density functional theory was also employed to forecast the plausible decomposition elucidation by the bond-breaking mechanism of organic substances. Plus, the main side products of SDZ degradation during the SEF process were tracked. Eventually, the non-carcinogenic risk assessment of different samples of natural water containing SDZ that was treated by adopting US, EF, and SEF processes was examined for the first time. The findings indicated that the non-carcinogenic risk (HQ) values of all the purified water sources were computed in the permissible range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and their intermediate residues have recently been considered a serious concern. Among technologies, bio-electrochemical technologies (BETs) have stimulated the production of bio-electrical energy. This review aims to examine the benefit and mechanism of BETs on the degradation of high-consumption pharmaceutical compounds, including antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic drugs, and the stimulation of enzymes induced in a bioreactor. Moreover, intermediates and the proposed pathways of pharmaceutical compound biodegradation in BETs are to be explained in this review. According to studies performed exclusively, the benefit of BETs is using bio-electroactive microbes to mineralize recalcitrant pharmaceutical contaminants by promoting enzyme activity and energy. Since BETs use the electron transfer chain between bio-anode/-cathode and pharmaceuticals, the enzyme activity is essential in the oxidation and reduction of phenolic rings of drugs and the ineffective detoxification of effluent from the treatment plant. This study is suggested a vital and influential role of BETs in mineralizing and enzyme induction in bioreactors. Eventually, a content of future developments or outlooks of BETs are propounded to improve the pharmaceutical industries' wastewater problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carwash wastewater (CWW) is considered as an important source of either water pollution or water consumption. Therefore, its treatment is critical not only from the prevention of environmental contamination but also from the recycling of such high-volume water source. Unfortunately, the effective treatment of CWW is almost unknown, complex, and expensive. To overcome the former challenge, this study aimed to systematically review different technologies for CWW treatment. For this, a comprehensive literature survey was conducted and 48 research articles were found suitable to be included in the investigation. The included studies were of coagulation and adsorption (n = 5), membrane-based technologies (n = 15), and electrochemical (n = 11) and combined (n = 17) systems. This comprehensive review showed that the treatment methods of advanced filtration membrane techniques, electrical and chemical coagulation, and advanced oxidation processes can be effective in the removal of pollutants from carwash wastewater (CWW). The mining of different studies, however, showed that the combined methods are the most promising option in the remediation of such wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]