Kinetic modeling of UV/H 2 O 2 , UV/sodium percarbonate, and UV/potassium peroxymonosulfate processes for albendazole degradation

This study provides an integrated assessment of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), potassium peroxymonosulfate (PMS), and sodium percarbonate (PCA) performance in Albendazole (ABZ) degradation during advanced oxidation processes. The experiments were conducted in a UV photoreactor (16 mW m −2 ). Initially, H 2 O 2 was tested as a model oxidant using ABZ/oxidant (ABZ/Ox) molar ratio 1:2. The removal achieved with and without UV radiation were 85% and 40% ABZ. With PCA and PMS (ABZ/Ox molar ratio 1:2), 100% ABZ removal was observed at 15 min. A kinetic study was conducted because of the faster ABZ removal (ABZ/Ox = 1:1, 1:0.5, and 1:0.1). The ABZ/PCA process (using ABZ/Ox 1:1) achieved 40% and 43% ABZ removal after 15 min, with and without UV radiation, respectively. Whit ABZ/PCA 1:0.5, no degradation was observed. In contrast, with ABZ/PMS 1:0.5, 100% degradation was achieved. These results suggest a synergism between the sulfate and carbonate radicals with the hydroxyls. The pseudo-second order kinetic model was fair to predict experimental results showing R 2 ≥ 0.98 for all the trials. This study provides a technical guideline for using these oxidants in the degradation of compounds with chemical structures like ABZ. Graphical abstract