Degradation study of 15 emerging contaminants at low concentration by immobilized TiO2 in a pilot plant

The purpose of this study was to develop a municipal wastewater treatment method based on a solar advanced oxidation process (AOP) permitting reuse of the treated wastewater. The photoactive layer of TiO2 was deposited on glass spheres using the sol–gel dip-coating technique. The film was characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Degradation of 15 emerging contaminants (ECs), each with an initial concentration of 100 μg L−1 was determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC–UV) and mineralization was monitored by measuring the dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The experiments were performed in a pilot compound parabolic collector (CPC) solar plant at the Plataforma Solar of Almeria. Five cycles of photocatalysis were studied for photocatalyst durability and activity. It was demonstrated that after five cycles, although photoactivity of the catalyst slowly decreases, it continues degrading contaminants.