Advanced oxidation processes for removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products

Advanced oxidation processes (AOP) have been extensively studied for the degradation/mineralization of organic matter in aqueous media such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). PPCPs are emerging contaminants that are found in trace concentrations and can generate negative effects on human health and ecosystems. AOPs such as electrochemical oxidation, E-peroxone, electro-Fenton, sonoelectrochemical, photocatalysis, and photoelectrocatalysis present degradation efficiencies higher than 80% even reaching 100% for compounds such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and paracetamol, among others. Reactive oxygen species such as O3, •OH, and H2O2 generated in AOP are ideal for the degradation and mineralization of PPCP. This chapter addresses the fundamentals of the most used AOPs for the treatment of water contaminated with PPCP, their fundamentals, and the related reported works.