Hybrid advanced oxidation process (HAOP) as highly efficient and powerful treatment for complete demineralization of antibiotics

Antibiotics are specific compounds generally found in pharmaceutical wastewater. Antibiotics are composed of high molecular weight aromatic compounds with persistent characteristic and potentially inhibitor to bacterial growth in biological treatment. While on the contrary, the electrocatalytic process is suitable for highly stable pollutant treatment. Reactor was set by regulating the performance of anode and cathode into their optimum efficiencies and called as Hybrid Advanced Oxidation Process (HAOP). Cylinder cathode made of carbon cloth was put vertically inside the tube and circled around Ti/PtIr plate anode. A mixer was installed to enhance the diffusion flow of pollutants towards oxidants generated on the electrode surface. EAOP, EFRP, and EFP were the main mechanisms for pollutant removal. A 100% COD removal indicating complete degradation of pollutant into CO2 and H2O. UV-VIS spectra peaks at lambda 470, 340 and 240 nm detected in raw wastewater were no longer found in treated water. The result of time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) analysis supported those findings, in which four peaks at m/z 821, m/z 759, m/z 700 and m/z 144 were not detected after treatment.