Activated Carbon/Hydrogen Peroxide (AC/H2O2) Treatment of Amoxicillin and Cloxacillin Antibiotics in Aqueous Solution

The study examined AC/H2O2 treatment of amoxicillin and cloxacillin antibiotics aqueous solution. The treatment was optimized by the central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum operating conditions at pH 3 were H2O2/COD molar ratio 2.0, AC 3.5 g/L and reaction time 90 min for 78.03% removal of COD, 78.36% removal of TOC and 97.16% removal of NH3-N. Experimental removal efficiency and model prediction were in close agreement (<1.0% error). Biodegradability (BOD5/COD ratio) improved from zero to 0.32, indicating that the effluent was amenable to biological treatment. FTIR spectra indicated degradation of the antibiotics. The study has shown that AC/H2O2 process is effective in pretreatment of amoxicillin and cloxacillin antibiotics aqueous solution for biological treatment.