Removal of nevirapine from wastewater using non-stationary continuous flow photocatalysis
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Springer
Abstract
This study explored the photocatalytic degradation of nevirapine (NVP), a widely used antiretroviral drug, using a continuous flow reactor system with an Ag-AgBr-LDH photocatalyst under visible light irradiation. The effect of light intensity was initially evaluated in batch mode, while the influence of photocatalyst loading, flow rate, and initial pollutant concentration was systematically assessed in continuous flow operation. Results indicated that higher light intensities enhanced degradation efficiency, confirming a strong correlation between photon availability and photocatalytic activity. The optimal performance was achieved with a photocatalyst loading of 3 g/L and a flow rate of 10 mL/min, resulting in the highest observed degradation efficiency. In contrast, elevated initial concentrations of NVP led to reduced degradation, likely due to light attenuation and increased surface adsorption that limited active site availability. A porous glass frit was employed at the reactor outlet to retain the suspended photocatalyst, ensuring continuous operation without material loss.
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DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION: TABLE S1: Positions of the basal planes and crystallite parameters FIGURE S1 : XRD analysis for Ag-AgBr-LDH nanocomposite photocatalyst FIGURE S2 : Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and of LDH and Ag-AgBr-LDH FIGURE S3 : Residual plots for model predictions under varying light intensities, highlighting deviations between experimental and calculated NVP concentrations FIGURE S4 : Residual plots for model fit under varying photocatalyst loadings, illustrating the difference between experimental data and model predictions during continuous flow operation FIGURE S5 : Residual plots for model fit under varying initial NVP concentrations, used to evaluate model accuracy across different concentration levels
SUPPORTING INFORMATION: TABLE S1: Positions of the basal planes and crystallite parameters FIGURE S1 : XRD analysis for Ag-AgBr-LDH nanocomposite photocatalyst FIGURE S2 : Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and of LDH and Ag-AgBr-LDH FIGURE S3 : Residual plots for model predictions under varying light intensities, highlighting deviations between experimental and calculated NVP concentrations FIGURE S4 : Residual plots for model fit under varying photocatalyst loadings, illustrating the difference between experimental data and model predictions during continuous flow operation FIGURE S5 : Residual plots for model fit under varying initial NVP concentrations, used to evaluate model accuracy across different concentration levels
Keywords
Emerging pollutants, Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), Photodegradation, Light intensity, Continuous flow reactor
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG-03: Good health and well-being
SDG-06: Clean water and sanitation
SDG-06: Clean water and sanitation
Citation
Tabana, L.S. & Tichapondwa, S.M. 2026, ‘Removal of nevirapine from wastewater using Non-Stationary continuous flow photocatalysis’, Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering, pp. 1–12, doi:10.1007/s43153-025-00634-4.