Removal of amoxicillin as emerging contaminant using ozonation process

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in waters and wastewaters nowadays raises global concern due to waterborne diseases. Amoxicillin is one of the most prescribed antibiotics in the world for treating infections. The present study investigated the removal of amoxicillin using ozone as an advanced oxidation process. Several factors affecting the ozonation process were evaluated. Initial pH, reaction time, ozone mass flow, and amoxicillin concentration are the studied factors. The amoxicillin concentration was measured using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer, measuring the absorbance at λmax=272 nm. The results showed that the process performs better in basic condition than acidic. Moreover, in the best performance, the process eliminates 20 mg/l amoxicillin at pH 8 with 0.85 gr/hr ozone dosage for 60 min up to 78%.

Keywords:

Amoxicillin , Emerging contaminant , Pharmaceuticals , Ozone process , Advanced Oxidation Process