Catalytic Ozonation of Oxy-tetracycline Using Magnetic Carbon Nanoparticles

Oxy-tetracycline (OTC) has been recognized as not only a good antibiotic but also environmental contamination resulted from over-dosage and leakage from agricultural activities. Among various alternatives, catalytic ozonation is a promising method because of its simplicity and effectiveness. In this work. magnetic carbon nanoparticles (M-CNPs) synthesized by nebulizing pyrolysis of glycerol and ferrocene has been applied as a catalyst for enhancing ozonation of OTC. Effects of catalyst loading and initial concentration of tetracycline on degradation of oxy-tetracycline have been experimentally examined in comparison with other typical carbonaceous powders which are carbon black and graphite. While the change of OTC concentration were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyzer for examining its characteristics, fresh and spent carbonaceous catalysts were also characterized using electron microscopy, surface area and porosity analyzer, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analyzer. It was found that M-CNPs could exhibit a superior performance in the removal of OTC by adsorption and catalytic ozonation. resulting a faster completion of OTC removal within 30 min or 2 times faster when compared with the cases of carbon black and graphite powder as well as ozonation alone.