Comparison of different advanced oxidation processes for the removal of amoxicillin in aqueous solution

Amoxicillin (AMX) is a widely used penicillin-type antibiotic whose presence in the environment has been investigated. In this work, the degradation of the AMX in aqueous solutions by ozonation, ozonation with UV radiation (O-3/UV), homogeneous catalytic ozonation (O-3/Fe2+) and homogeneous photocatalytic ozonation (O-3/Fe2+/UV) was investigated. The performance results have been compared in terms of removal of amoxicillin and total organic carbon (mineralization efficiency). In all processes, complete amoxicillin degradation was obtained after 5min. However, low mineralization was achieved. For the best available process, the potential toxicity of AMX intermediates formed after ozonation was examined using a Fish Embryo Toxicity test. Results reveal that O-3 in alkaline solution and O-3/Fe2+/UV provide the highest mineralization rates. Ecotoxicity showed that no acute toxicity was observed during the exposure period of 96h.