Removal of levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin from aqueous solutions and an economic evaluation using the electrocoagulation process

For this research, the utilisation of electrocoagulation (EC) toremove theciprofloxacin (CIP) and levofloxacin (LVX) from aqueous solutions was examined. The effective removal efficiencies are 93.47% for CIP and 88.00% for LVX, under optimum conditions. The adsorption isotherm models with suitable mechanisms were applied to determine the elimination of CIP and LVX utilizingtheEC method. Thefindingsshowed the adsorption of CIP and LVX on iron hydroxide flocs followed the Sips isotherm, with correlation coefficient values (R-2) of 0.939 and 0.937. Threekinetic models were reviewed to determine the accurate CIP and LVX elimination methods using the EC method. The results showed that itfittedfor the second-order model, which indicated that the chemical adsorption mechanism controlled the removal of CIP and LVX. The R-2 with CIP is 0.944, and LVX is 0.941. For binary system removal, efficiencies were 93.00, 90.10, and 96.30% for CIP, and 91.80, 96.10, and 92.97% for LVX, at the CIP ratio: LVX of 1:1, 1:4, and 4:1. The electrode consumption (ELC) and electrical energy consumption (EEC) were found at 0.208 g and 3.21 kWh(-3) for a single operation. The operating cost was estimated at 0.613 US$ m(-3).

Automated summary

This study examined the utilization of electrocoagulation (EC) for the removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP) and levofloxacin (LVX) from aqueous solutions. The results showed that the EC method achieved effective removal efficiencies of 93.47% for CIP and 88.00% for LVX under optimum conditions. The adsorption isotherm models and kinetic models were applied to determine the elimination mechanisms of CIP and LVX using the EC method. The findings suggested that the adsorption of CIP and LVX on iron hydroxide flocs followed the Sips isotherm and the removal process was controlled by chemical adsorption mechanisms.