Wet oxidation of an industrial high concentration pharmaceutical wastewater using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant

Abstract Wet oxidation of an industrial pharmaceutical wastewater with high concentration organic pollutants using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant was investigated. Experiments were performed in a batch reactor to discuss the effects of reaction temperature, time, the hydrogen peroxide amount and catalyst with COD removal rate as an evaluation index. Results show that the highest COD removal rate, 81.6 %, was achieved at 240 ºC for 60 min with the addition of H2O2 solution 2 mL. The increased B/C value illustrated that the biodegradability of the wastewater improved significantly after the wet oxidation process. Activated carbon acts as a catalyst in this process which can increased the efficiency significantly. Wet hydrogen peroxide oxidation (WHPO) displayed an effective pre-treatment for the high-concentration organic wastewater.