Advanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Cytarabine from Pharmaceutical Wastewaters

The need to develop advanced wastewater treatment techniques and their use has become a priority, the main goal being the efficient removal of pollutants, especially those of organic origin. This study presents the photo-degradation of a pharmaceutical wastewater containing Kabi cytarabine, using ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and a synthesized catalyst, a composite based on bismuth and iron oxides (BFO). The size of the bandgap was determined by UV spectroscopy, having a value of 2.27 eV. The specific surface was determined using the BET method, having a value of 0.7 m2 g−1. The material studied for the photo-degradation of cytarabine presents a remarkable photo-degradation efficiency of 97.9% for an initial concentration 0f 10 mg/L cytarabine Kabi when 0.15 g of material was used, during 120 min of interaction with UV radiation at 3 cm from the irradiation source. The material withstands five photo-degradation cycles with good results. At the same time, through this study, it was possible to establish that pyrimidine derivatives could be able to combat infections caused by Escherichia coli and Candida parapsilosis.