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    <timestamp>20260130064721574</timestamp>
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        <full_title>International Journal of Applied Sciences &amp; Development</full_title>
        <issn media_type="electronic">2945-0454</issn>
      </journal_metadata>
      <journal_article>
        <titles>
          <title>Pilot-Scale Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals in Hospital Wastewater: A Kinetic Study from Albania</title>
        </titles>
        <contributors>
          <person_name sequence="first" contributor_role="author">
            <given_name>Sami</given_name>
            <surname>Makolli</surname>
            <affiliations>
              <institution>
                <institution_name>Higher Education Institute, UBT Prishtina, Lagjja Kalabria, 10 000 Prishtina, KOSOVO</institution_name>
              </institution>
            </affiliations>
          </person_name>
          <person_name sequence="additional" contributor_role="author">
            <given_name>Terkida</given_name>
            <surname>Prifti</surname>
            <affiliations>
              <institution>
                <institution_name>Department of Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, ALBANIA</institution_name>
              </institution>
            </affiliations>
          </person_name>
          <person_name sequence="additional" contributor_role="author">
            <given_name>Ilirjan</given_name>
            <surname>Malollari</surname>
            <affiliations>
              <institution>
                <institution_name>Department of Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, ALBANIA</institution_name>
              </institution>
            </affiliations>
          </person_name>
        </contributors>
        <jats:abstract xml:lang="en">
          <jats:p>Pharmaceutical residues in hospital wastewater pose a significant environmental threat, particularly in developing regions like Albania where advanced treatment is lacking. This study investigates the kinetics of photocatalytic oxidation for degrading a mixture of ciprofloxacin, paracetamol, and ibuprofen in real hospital effluent using a pilot-scale reactor (50 L) installed in Vlora, Albania. The system employed suspended TiO₂ under UV-A irradiation. Kinetic analysis revealed that the degradation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, with high correlation coefficients (R² > 0.95). The Langmuir-Hinshelwood model better described the process at higher concentrations. Under optimal conditions (1.5 g/L catalyst), removal efficiencies reached 92% for paracetamol, 85% for ciprofloxacin, and 78% for ibuprofen, with significant total organic carbon (TOC) reduction (60-70%). This study demonstrates that photocatalytic oxidation is a viable and effective tertiary treatment for pharmaceutical-laden wastewater in Albanian hospitals, providing a kinetic foundation for future scaling and implementation.</jats:p>
        </jats:abstract>
        <publication_date media_type="print">
          <month>01</month>
          <day>30</day>
          <year>2026</year>
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        <publication_date media_type="online">
          <month>01</month>
          <day>30</day>
          <year>2026</year>
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        <pages>
          <first_page>16</first_page>
        </pages>
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          <item_number item_number_type="article_number">2</item_number>
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          <ai:license_ref>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en_US</ai:license_ref>
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          <doi>10.37394/232029.2026.5.2</doi>
          <resource>https://wseas.com/journals/asd/2026/a04asd-002(2026).pdf</resource>
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          <citation key="ref2">
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