Micro-sized TiO2 catalyst was employed to degrade pharmaceutical compounds, i.e. aspirin and paracetamol, two of the most widely used drugs, purchasable without prescription. Their active agents, acetylsalicylic acid and acetaminophen, are characterized by different substituent groups, linked to the aromatic ring, which affect both the photodegradation and mineralization processes. The experimental conditions highlight the relationship between the nature of the pristine molecules, their degradation mechanisms, their mutual interference and the water's role. The research started from model systems with a single pollutant to the mixture of them and finally by moving from deionized water to tap water.
Keywords: Aspirin; By-products identification; Micro-sized TiO2; Paracetamol; Photocatalytic degradation; Titanium dioxide.