Oxidative Degradation of Pharmaceuticals: The Role of Tetrapyrrole-Based Catalysts

Nowadays, society's widespread consumption of pharmaceutical drugs and the consequent accumulation of such compounds or their metabolites in effluents requires the development of efficient strategies and systems that lead to their effective degradation. This can be done through oxidative processes, in which tetrapyrrolic macrocycles (porphyrins, phthalocyanines) deserve special attention since they are among the most promising degradation catalysts. This paper presents a review of the literature over the past ten years on the major advances made in the development of oxidation processes of pharmaceuticals in aqueous solutions using tetrapyrrole-based catalysts. The review presents a brief discussion of the mechanisms involved in these oxidative processes and is organized by the degradation of families of pharmaceutical compounds, namely antibiotics, analgesics and neurological drugs, among others. For each family, a critical analysis and discussion of the fundamental roles of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles are presented, regarding both photochemical degradative processes and direct oxidative chemical degradation.