Photo-Fenton oxidative of pharmaceutical wastewater containing meropenem and ceftriaxone antibiotics: influential factors, feasibility, and biodegradability studies

Abstract

The main aim of the present research, as the first study, was coupling of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), ferrous ions (Fe²⁺) and UV irradiation in a photo-Fenton system to degradation two antibiotics (e.g. meropenem and ceftriaxone) from aqueous solution. The tests were carried out at different experimental conditions namely solution pH, iron dosages, H₂O₂ concentrations, UV light intensities, temperatures, and initial antibiotic concentrations. The degradation rates of 99 and 96.2% were observed for respectively meropenem and ceftriaxone during 60 min treatment. Biodegradability tests illustrated that photo-Fenton system has a high performance in removing organic compounds and biodegradability enhanced remarkably after treatment.

Keywords:

• Photo-Fenton oxidation
• antibiotic degradation
• biodegradability
• mineralization
• homogeneous Fenton

Acknowledgment

This article was derived from the PhD degree thesis of Miss. Bahareh Kordestani. The authors of this paper are sincerely grateful to the Islamic Azad University of Ahvaz, Iran for providing the financial and academic support to the project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.