Integrated electro-oxidation using a hollow cylindrical Ti–TiO2/IrO2/RuO2 mesh electrode and biodegradation for sustainable treatment of hospital wastewater

Raw hospital wastewater has high organic load, active pharmaceutical residues and alarming environmental
parameters, thus posing a significant environmental risk. This study assesses the electro-oxidation (EO) of hos-
pital wastewater (HWW) using a Ti–TiO2/IrO2/RuO2 mesh electrode under optimal conditions, and the demin-
eralised intermediate organic compounds are degraded through microbial processes. 16S rRNA phylogenetics
confirmed the isolated bacterium as Priestia flexa, which played a major role in biodegradation. At the end of 20d,
significant reductions of 96% decrease in COD, a 95% reduction in BOD, and an 85% decline in TOC. HR-SEM
and EDAX analysis suggested a robost and consistent electrode design and performance throughout several EO
cycles. FTIR and GC–MS studies revealed elimination of key functional groups. In addition, Ecotoxicological
evaluations of water quality and Phytotoxicity studies demonstrated positive outcomes with an integrated
approach treated HWW. Embryonic toxicity in Zebra fish with treated wastewater resulted in normal embryonic
development up to 72 hpf, even at 25 μL. Hence, the integrated approach has found to be efficient in treating
HWW.