UV Based Advanced Oxidation Process for Degradation of Ciprofloxacin: Reaction Kinetics, Effects of Interfering Substances and Degradation Product Identification

In the photochemical UV-H2O2 advanced oxidation process, H2O2 absorbs UV light and is decomposed to form hydroxyl radicals (OH·), which are highly excited and reactive for electron-rich organic compounds and hence can degrade organic compounds. In the present work, the UV-H2O2 process was investigated to degrade ciprofloxacin (CIP), one of India's widely used antibiotics, from aqueous solutions using a batch type UV reactor having photon flux = 1.9 (± 0.1) ×10-4 Einstein L-1 min-1. The effects of UV irradiation time on CIP degradation were investigated for both UV and UV-H2O2 processes. It was found that about 75% degradation of CIP was achieved within 60 s with initial CIP concentration and peroxide concentration of 10 mg L-1 and 1 mol H2O2/ mol CIP, respectively, at pH of 7(±0.1) and fluence dose of 113 mJ cm-2. The experimental data were analyzed by the first-order kinetics model to find out the time- and fluence-based degradation rate constants. Under optimized experimental conditions (initial CIP concentration, pH and H2O2 dose of 10 mg L-1, 7(±0.1) and 1.0 mol H2O2 / mol CIP, respectively), the fluence-based pseudo-first-order rate constant for the UV and UV-H2O2 processes were determined to be 1.28(±0.0) ×10-4 and 1.20(±0.04) ×10-2 cm2 mJ-1 respectively. The quantum yields at various pH under direct UV were calculated. The impacts of different process parameters such as H2O2 concentration, solution pH, initial CIP concentration, and wastewater matrix on CIP degradation were also investigated in detail. CIP degradation was favorable in acidic conditions. Six degradation products of CIP were identified. Results clearly showed the potentiality of the UV-H2O2 process for the degradation of antibiotics in wastewater.