Mini Research Article
Volume 9 Issue 2
Mikael Seppala* and Jukka Hakola
July 28, 2026
Abstract
Anthropogenic micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals and corrosion inhibitors are insufficiently removed in conventional wastewater treatment. This study evaluates three disinfection/oxidation methods applied to treated municipal wastewater in Kuopio, Finland: (1) ozone treatment using the SansOx OxTube hermetic dissolution system, (2) peracetic acid (PAA) combined with UV, and (3) hydrogen peroxide combined with UV. Eight substances exceeded 1 µg/L in the effluent. The OxTube-ozonation method achieved the highest removal efficiencies, including 99.9% removal of cetirizine, 99.7% of diclofenac, 99.7% of furosemide, 99.6% of losartan and 91.3% of venlafaxine. PAA+UV and H₂O₂+UV showed minimal or no removal. These results demonstrate that ozone-based advanced oxidation, when delivered through the SansOx OxTube system, provides a highly effective and scalable solution for reducing pharmaceutical residues in municipal effluents.
Keywords: Ozone; OxTube; SansOx; wastewater; pharmaceuticals; advanced oxidation; micropollutants; disinfection
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