SinoXivDegradation of antiretroviral drugs by a pyrite-assisted solar photo-Fenton process: effects of aqueous and simulated hospital wastewater matrices and toxicity assessment
Abstract
The high water Population Drugs, especially antiretroviral drugs, have been widely used worldwide to treat antiretroviral infections and are classified as persistent organic pollutants. These contaminants have been detected in the most diverse aquatic matrices as a result of the insufficiency of conventional treatments. In this study, the degradation of a mixture of lamivudine and zidovudine was investigated using a pyrite-assisted solar photo-Fenton process in both aqueous solution and simulated hospital wastewater. It was found that the process could promote 80% degradation of the drug mixture in aqueous solution and 69% in synthetic matrix. Kinetic analysis indicated that the degradation profiles could be described using a phenomenological model, suggesting the coexistence of homogeneous and heterogeneous mechanisms, supported by the detection of dissolved iron in the reaction medium. However, the presence of inorganic and organic components in the synthetic matrix reduced process efficiency, likely due to radical scavenging and light attenuation effects. Toxicity assessment revealed an increase in phytotoxicity after treatment, indicating the formation of intermediate compounds, while no acute toxicity was observed for Artemia salina under the tested conditions. Although the process demonstrated potential for antiretroviral degradation, the results highlight the importance of considering matrix effects and post-treatment toxicity. The process used proved to be effective and a viable alternative for treating these contaminants.
Citation Information
@article{fernandasobreirasilva2026,
title={Degradation of antiretroviral drugs by a pyrite-assisted solar photo-Fenton process: effects of aqueous and simulated hospital wastewater matrices and toxicity assessment},
author={FERNANDA SOBREIRA SILVA and MARINA GOMES SILVA and INGRID LARISSA DA SILVA SANTANA and VANESSA DE OLIVEIRA MARQUES CAVALCANTI and NAIANA SANTOS DA CRUZ SANTANA NEVES and THIERRY WESLEY DE ALBUQUERQUE AGUIAR and ANA MARIA MENDONÇA DE ALBUQUERQUE MELO and JOAN MANUEL RODRIGUEZ-DIAZ and FERNANDA ARAÚJO HONORATO and DANIELLA CARLA NAPOLEÃO},
journal={Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering},
year={2026},
doi={https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9381829/v1}
}
