Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (FQs) are frequently detected as emerging pollutants in aqueous environments. In this study, kinetics, influencing factors and mechanisms on the photodegradation of gatifloxacin, a representative FQ, were investigated. The photodegradation follows the pseudo-first-order kinetics. Gatifloxacin photodegrades with a quantum yield of (5.94 ± 0.95) × 10 −3 in pure water and undergoes direct photolysis as well as self-sensitized photodegradation. The FQ photodegrades slower in freshwater and seawater than in pure water, which is attributed to the integrative effects of pH and the aqueous dissolved matter (e.g., humic acids and NO 3 − ) on the photodegradation. A toxicity test using Vibrio fischeri revealed the formation of hazardous photoproducts.
gatifloxacin, photodegradation, influencing factors, reactive oxygen speciesCitation: Ge L K, Chen J W, Zhang S Y, et al. Photodegradation of fluoroquinolone antibiotic gatifloxacin in aqueous solutions.