Work

Solar activation of persulfate for simultaneous degradation of antibiotic drug and edible dye in a thin-layer flow photo-reactor

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Antibiotics are largely used in human and veterinary medicine, and aquaculture to control diseases. These drugs are often produced with edible dyes to distinguish them by color. The present investigation explores solar activation of persulfate (PS) in a homogeneous process for the simultaneous degradation of oxytetracycline (OTC) and erythrosine-B (ERY), an edible dye, employing a newly designed solar photo-reactor. Under mild operating conditions of neutral pH, PS concentration of 180 mg/L, and degradation time of about 70 min, 72.4% and 82.1% degradation efficiencies were achieved for OTC and ERY pollutants, respectively. The efficiencies improved to 82.1% and 92.5% by the addition of 1.5 mg/L ferrous ion. Meanwhile, the effects of the major water matrix coexisting cations and anions were investigated, and the contribution of reactive oxidizing agents was determined via scavenging. The intermediates were identified, and the corresponding degradation pathways were introduced from the results of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis. Further, the toxicity of solutions was evaluated via antibiogram test as well as the Virtual Evaluation Global Architecture (VEGA) software, totally revealing low levels of toxicity after treatment. The findings from the Solar/PS/Fe 2+ process highlight an environmentally friendly method in the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewaters and of other relevant sectors.

Source: Arabian Journal of Chemistry

DOI: 10.25259/ajc_92_2025

Authors: Mehrdad Moradi, Javad Saien

Institution: Bu-Ali Sina University

Language: English

Topic: Advanced oxidation water treatment

Subfield: Water Science and Technology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Clean water and sanitation, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $1,490