Sonocatalytic degradation of tetracycline antibiotic in aqueous solution by sonocatalysis

Tetracycline (TC), one of the most common antibiotics, is often poorly bio-degraded in conventional wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the sonocatalytic degradation of TC was investigated using TiO2 nano-particles as catalyst. The effect of pH, initial TC concentrations, reaction times, and H2O2 concentrations were evaluated. The efficacy of ultrasonic irradiation alone in the removal of this pollutant was negligible but removal efficiency increased upon addition of TiO2 up to 250mg L-1; increase of pH and initial TC concentration attenuated TC degradation. Addition of H2O2 raised the removal efficiency so that complete removal of TC was achieved within 75min.