Degradation of Ciprofloxacin Using Ultrasound/ZnO/Oxone Process from Aqueous Solution-Lab-Scale Analysis and Optimization

Abstract

Nowadays, the existence of antibiotic compounds in pharmaceutical wastewaters is one of the new problems that can be considered in environmental pollution. The removal of ciprofloxacin from aqueous solutions is examined in the present study by using peroxymonosulfate (Oxone=PMS) activated with hybridized ultrasonic waves and synthesized ZnO nanoparticles. Operational parameters like ZnO nanoparticles dosage, initial pH, and peroxymonosulfate concentration, and their effect on the removal of the antibiotic have been investigated. The results showed 98.3% antibiotics removal observed with an initial pH of 3, ZnO nanoparticles dosage of 1\xa0g/L, and peroxymonosulfate concentration of 1\xa0g/L. This process had a high removal efficiency and was suitable for the removal of ciprofloxacin from aquatic environments.