Improvement of solar photo-Fenton by extracts of amazonian fruits for the degradation of pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater

Extracts of copoazu ( Theobroma gramdiflorum ), canangucha ( Maurita Flexuosa ), and coffee ( Coffea arabica ) were explored as enhancers of the solar photo-Fenton process to eliminate acetaminophen, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, and diclofenac in raw municipal wastewater. The process, at pH 6.2 and 5 mg L −1 of iron without the presence of extracts, had a very limited action (~35% of the pollutants degradation at 90 min of treatment) due to the iron precipitation. Interestingly, the extract addition increased the soluble iron forms, but only copoazu extract improved the pollutant degradation (~95% of elimination at 20 min of the process action). The copoazu extract components acted as natural complexing agents, maintaining the soluble iron up to 2 mg L −1 even after 90 min and, consequently, enhancing the pollutant degradation. The effect of copoazu extract dose on the process performance was also assessed, finding that an iron:polyphenols (from the copoazu extract) at a molar ratio equal to 1:0.16 was the most favorable condition. Then, the process improved by copoazu extract was applied to raw municipal wastewater. Remarkably, the process led to ~90% of total pharmaceuticals degradation at 20 min of treatment. This work evidenced the feasibility of amazonian fruit extracts to improve the solar photo-Fenton process to degrade pharmaceuticals in aqueous matrices at near-neutral pH.