ELETROQUÍMICA COMO FERRAMENTA EFICAZ NA REMOÇÃO DE FÁRMACOS EM ÁGUAS DE ABASTECIMENTO PÚBLICO

Abstract

In the last decades, pharmaceutical drugs have been highlighted as emerging contaminants. Water treatment conventional methods do not eliminate effectively and functionalized small molecules such as pharmaceutical drugs. The aciclovir is one of the most commonly used antiviral drugs. It is primarily used for the treatment of herpes simplex virus infections. Its pharmacological importance and widespread use motivated the choice of this pharmaceutical drug as application model of the method developed in this work. For monitoring the electro-degradation process of the pharmaceutical drug in water supply, an analytical curve was obtained by spectrophotometry. For optimization of the variables that influence the electro-degradation process, were used electrodes of titanium oxide in acid solutions or saline solutions. Cyclic voltammetry showed that the electrode surface is not altered after electrochemical oxidation in the presence of chloride and in optimal conditions.

Index Terms - electrochemistry, acyclovir, water.