Combining electrochemical and enzymatic treatments to enhance bisphenol a degradation in water

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA) is highly toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic. It is also a powerful endocrine disruptor that strongly interferes with hormonal regulation, negatively affecting development and reproduction in humans and animals. In addition, BPA causes various neurological and immunological problems. Increasing environmental and food contamination with this compound has called for new methods to degrade and to remove BPA from contaminated water and environments. Combining different electrochemical and enzymatic treatments is an attractive and efficient strategy to remediate BPA-contaminated environments and water sources. Here, we aimed to degrade BPA completely by combining electrochemical oxidation at a titanium electrode modified with ruthenium and tin oxides (Ti/TiRu0.3Sn0.7O2) and enzymatic oxidation with immobilized laccase oxidase.d Electrochemical and morphological characterization of the electrode confirmed that the desired composition of ruthenium and tin oxides was achieved. High-performance liquid chromatography analyses confirmed that BPA was degraded into an aromatic compound (4-isopropenylphenol) as well as ring-opening products that further generated organic acids (tartaric, maleic, formic, and acetic acids). Combining electrochemical and enzymatic treatments degraded 92% BPA within only 2 h.