Comprehensive Study on Environmental Behaviour and Degradation by Photolytic/Photocatalytic Oxidation Processes of Pharmaceutical Memantine

Memantine is a pharmaceutical used to treat memory loss, one of the main symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The use of memantine is expected to continue to grow due to the increasing proportion of the elderly population worldwide. The aim of this work was to conduct a comprehensive study on the behaviour of memantine in the environment and the possibilities of its removal from wastewater. Abiotic elimination processes (hydrolysis, photolysis and sorption) of memantine in the environment were investigated. Results showed that memantine is stable in the environment and easily leached from river sediment. Therefore, further investigation was focused on memantine removal by advanced oxidation processes that would prevent its release into the environment. For photolytic and photocatalytic degradation of memantine, ultraviolet (UV) lamps with the predominant radiation wavelengths of 365 nm (UV-A) and 254/185 nm (UV-C) were used as a source of light. TiO2 in the form of a nanostructured film deposited on the borosilicate glass wall of the reactor was used for photocatalytic experiments. Photodegradation of memantine followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The half-life of photocatalytic degradation by UV-A light was much higher (46.3 min) than the half-life obtained by UV-C light (3.9 min). Processes degradation efficiencies and evaluation of kinetic constants were based on the results of HPLC-MS/MS analyses, which also enable the identification of memantine oxidation products. The acute toxicity of the reaction mixture during the oxidation was evaluated by monitoring the inhibition of the luminescence of Vibrio fischeri bacteria. The results showed that memantine and its oxidation products were not harmful to Vibrio fischeri.