Efficacy Evaluation of Oxidation Process Ultrasonic for the Removal of Diclofenac from Aqueous Solution

Diclofenac with the chemical formula C14H11Cl2NO2 is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to reduce inflammation and relieve pain in conditions, such as arthritis or acute injury. High levels of this type of pollutant in the environment have caused major concerns, such as bacterial resistance and human hormonal disruption. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasonic oxidation in removing diclofenac from aqueous solutions.

This experimental-interventional study was conducted to investigate the removal of diclofenac from aqueous solutions through ultrasonic oxidation in laboratory conditions on synthetic samples. Finally, an MSC-equipped GC-MS with splitless/splitless injection was used to measure Diclofenac. Data analysis were performed using ANOVA in Design Expert software.

The obtained results showed that the maximum degradation efficiency of Diclofenac (95.8%) by ultrasonic process occurred under the optimum conditions of the power of 70 W, pH of 9, the reaction time of min 10, and drug initial concentration of 1 mg/L. Regarding the effect of factors, it was shown that the efficiency of Diclofenac degradation increased by decreasing the initial concentration of the drug as well as increasing the ultrasonic strength, reaction time, and initial pH. The high R2 value and P-value less than 0.05 were indicative of appropriateness of the model.

According to the results, it can be concluded that the ultrasonic process alone is a suitable process for the decomposition of Diclofenac from aqueous solutions.