Abstract
AbstractThe objective of this study is to analyze the photodegradation of the antibiotic tetracycline by the solar photo‐Fenton process. The optimal conditions were obtained in a 2² (2 × 2) factorial design with the following input variables: reaction time and catalyst concentration (ferrous ion [Fe2+]). After statistical analysis using the Statistica 7.0 software, the optimal conditions determined, time = 120 min and Fe2+ = 166.81 mg/L, were applied in a pilot scale photoreactor, resulting in an 88.7% removal of the drug. In addition, in this stage we studied the reaction kinetics, biodegradability, and phytotoxicity of the products generated by the process. In the kinetic study, a constant of 1.82 × 10−2 min−1 was obtained. For this constant, a reaction time of 38.16 min is required for the initial tetracycline concentration to be reduced by 50%. The biodegradability tests indicated a gradual increase in the five‐day biological oxygen demand/chemical oxygen demand ratio over time. The phytotoxicity tests showed an 18.5% decrease in the inhibition rate of the root growth of lettuce seedlings, indicating that the treatment applied reduces the toxicity of the substance.
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