Chapter 17 - Sonochemical degradation of fluoroquinolone and β-lactam antibiotics – A view on transformations, degradation efficiency, and consumed energy

Abstract

β-lactam and fluoroquinolone antibiotics are recognized as highly consumed pharmaceuticals and very common pollutants in municipal wastewater. These pharmaceuticals have been widely treated by ultrasound-based processes. This chapter deals with aspects of degradation efficiency, primary transformations, and energy consumption for the sonochemical treatment of β-lactam and fluoroquinolone antibiotics. The principles of sonochemical processes are defined initially. Then, the topic of degradation of the β-lactam antibiotics by ultrasound is presented. In the third place, the key aspects of the sonotreatment of fluoroquinolone pharmaceuticals are detailed. The end of the chapter is devoted to the relationship between degradation efficiency and consumed electric energy, plus the remarkable points derived from the sonochemical degradation of β-lactam and fluoroquinolone antibiotics.