Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) are the basis of the active ingredients of pharmaceuticals. Their production process often involves complex chemical reactions and separation and purification steps, generating large amounts of wastewater. These wastewaters typically have high concentrations of organic matter (measured by chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC), contain structurally stable and difficult-to-biodegrade API molecules themselves and their production intermediates, and have high chroma, high salt content, and exhibit significant biological toxicity, resulting in generally poor biodegradability (BOD5/CODcr ratio).
Ultraviolet light/hydrogen peroxide (UV/H₂O₂) combined technology utilizes ultraviolet light of a specific wavelength to irradiate hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), triggering the decomposition of H₂O₂ molecules to produce highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (OH). The strong oxidizing properties and non-selectivity of OH radicals enable them to effectively destroy the chemical structure of API molecules and their complex intermediates, gradually breaking them down into small molecules and eventually mineralizing them into CO2, H₂O, and inorganic salts, thereby degrading pollutants.
UV/H2O2 technology demonstrates excellent degradation of a variety of typical APIs, including antibiotics, hormones, phenolic compounds, nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, and some organic solvents (such as dichloromethane (DCM)).
The process flow for UV/H₂O₂ treatment of API pharmaceutical wastewater is as follows:
UV Hydrogen Peroxide Advanced Oxidation Process: Pretreatment, UV/H₂O₂ Reaction, and Post-treatment
· Pretreatment Stage
Grids and Screens: Remove large suspended and floating solids.
Equalization Tank: Evenly distributes water volume and quality, and buffers pH fluctuations.
Coagulation/Sedimentation/Flotation: Removes fine particles and improves UV transmittance.
· UV/H₂O₂ Reaction Unit
Reactor: Typically constructed of stainless steel or other materials with good UV and H₂O₂ resistance, the reactor is equipped with a UV lamp (either a low-pressure, high-intensity mercury lamp or a medium-pressure mercury lamp).
H₂O₂ Dosing and Control: Hydrogen peroxide solution is precisely dosed to the reactor inlet or reaction zone via a metering pump.
·Subsequent Treatment Stages
H₂O₂ Removal
pH Neutralization and Biological Treatment
Advanced Treatment
Customer Benefits of UV/H₂O₂ Treatment of API Pharmaceutical Wastewater:
Improves and Controls the Wastewater's Biodegradability (BOD₅/COD₃) Ratio
Rapidly Reduces Wastewater Biotoxicity
Ensures Production Continuity and Easily Achieves Regulatory Compliance
Empowers Green Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Reactivity and Easy Control and Operation
Low Overall Operating Costs
High Process Operational Flexibility
WSH紫外明渠
WTV紫外垂直模块
ZL大型管道式紫外
CLEAR中压紫外
MOL板式臭氧发生器
UV-AOP高级氧化
D.FITE滤布滤池
