Elimination of Antibiotics by Photocatalytic Methods

Abstract

Antibiotics have been found in water bodies of different origin around the world, including natural waters. The presence of antibiotics in natural waters is already an important environmental problem, as they pose a potential threat to the environment. Analysis of the literature shows that photocatalytic methods are considered to be more promising than biological methods and adsorption processes for the treatment of water bodies contaminated with antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals. The aim of this study was to determine the efficiency of antibiotics removal (ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim) by photocatalytic methods over TiO2 photocatalyst modified with yttrium oxide. For this purpose, a commercial sample of TiO2 P25 (Evonik) was modified, which was further characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence analysis methods. The obtained data indicate the presence of yttrium in commercial P25 sample after modification. Studies on the removal of antibiotics from aqueous solutions by photocatalytic methods were carried out in three ways: employing modified photocatalyst; combination of photocatalyst and hydrogen peroxide, and the combination of photocatalyst with hydrogen peroxide and ozone. The results of research demonstrate high efficiency of photocatalytic methods in the oxidation of antibiotics in aqueous solutions, among which the greatest oxidation is achieved using the combination of heterogeneous photocatalyst, hydrogen peroxide and ozone.