Degradation of paracetamol in a bubble column reactor with ozone generated in electrolyte-free water using a solid polymer electrolyte filter-press electrochemical reactor

A porous anode composed of β-PbO₂ was electrochemically deposited onto a carbon cloth substrate (e.g., CC/β-PbO₂) aiming for the electrochemical ozone production (EOP) in electrolyte-free water using a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) filter-press reactor. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed the presence of a three-dimensional oxide structure necessary to obtain a fluid-permeable anode. X-ray analysis showed the predominance of the β-PbO₂ phase. The maximum current efficiency for the EOP was 9.5% with an ozone production rate of 1.40 g h^?1. Using a constant ozone production rate of 0.5 g h^?1, the oxidative degradation of paracetamol (PCT) dissolved in water was accomplished as a function of the PCT concentration (20, 30, and 50 mg L^?1) and the pH (acid, natural (without adjustment), and alkaline). The UV-Vis spectrophotometric analysis showed that the degradation process is more pronounced in alkaline media with a strong reduction in the electrical energy per order (E _EO). A reduction of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of up to 80% was observed. A linear correlation between data referring to COD and HPLC measurements with the UV absorbance measured at 243 nm (UV₂₄₃) was verified indicating that these different techniques can be complementary to each other. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of the ozonation by-products revealed that the oxidation of PCT occurred through the rupture of the aromatic ring. The major part of phenol’s ring was oxidized to CO₃ ^2? while no reaction occurs in the acetamide group of paracetamol during the ozonation reaction.