Use of Manganese Dioxide for Wastewater Treatment

Currently, the problem of wastewater treatment from various organic pollution is very acute. These include the remains of pharmaceuticals, personal hygiene products, as well as antibiotics of class of three generation fluoroquinolons, i.e. containing in the ring one, two and three atoms of fluorine. The most widespread are: Ciprofloxacin, Norfloxacin, Lefloxacin, Danofloxacin, Sarafloxacin, Lomfloxocin.Previous studies have shown that these compounds are not completely removed by conventional wastewater treatment processes. In this regard, there is a need for the development and use of technologies that manage to remove these pollutants well enough. Of great interest is the natural oxidizing agents, which are in the soil, the Birnessites, a group of hydrated manganese oxides (III/IV). We have synthesized a hydrous manganese oxide (according to Murray), like Birnessites. Analysis of the content of antibiotics in both distilled water and waste water in the form of pharmaceutical and personal products, was built using the method of liquid chromatography of high pressure in combination with mass-spectroscopy. All antibiotics are easily oxidized by manganese dioxide in distilled water.But in the presence of natural organic matter, this process slows down, they are less destroyed. The interaction of the natural oxidizing agent with the trace of antibiotics and the remnants of pharmaceuticals, personal hygiene products both in distilled and in waste water with various pH was investigated. A comparison of the mutual-effectiveness of pollutants with hydrated manganese oxides was shown. A change in the content of the residues of pharmaceuticals and personal hygiene products occurs in different ways: in part-similarly to antibiotics, and in another part, the influence of MnO2 on decomposition does not take place. The possibility of using the oxidation process for water purification is discussed. We suggest these reactions are important for achieving environmental safety.