Degradation difference of fluoroquinolones by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and VUV/Fe2+ processes: Performance, mechanism, and influencing factors

Vacuum UV (VUV) has attracted much attention because it effectively splits water to produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in situ. So far, the formation and consumption pathways of H2O2 and its role in the generation of ROS in VUV and VUV/Fe2+ processes are not clear. Herein, added Fe2+ utilized insitu generated H2O2 by VUV irradiation to accelerate the degradation and mineralization of three fluoroquinolones. The H2O2 and hydroxyl radical (HO center dot) generated in situ under VUV irradiation were in a dynamic equilibrium state of mutual transformation, and H2O2 played an important role in VUV and VUV/Fe2+ processes. The fluorescent molecular probe experiments proved that both HO center dot and hydroperoxyl radical (HO2 center dot) existed in VUV and VUV/Fe2+ processes. Radical quenching experiments confirmed that HO center dot and HO2 center dot were the main ROS, and their contributions to norfloxacin (NOR) degradation were also quantified. Besides, organic and inorganic intermediate by-products of NOR degradation by VUV and VUV/Fe2+ were detected, and degradation pathways of NOR were also proposed. Added Fe2+ accelerated defluorination effect and the conversion of organic nitrogen to inorganic nitrogen during NOR degradation under VUV irradiation. Effects of initial pH, dissolved oxygen, dissolved organic matter and coexisting ions on VUV and VUV/Fe2+ were also compared. Moreover, energy consumption values of VUV/Fe2+ were always lower than that of VUV, and the average energy-saving rate of VUV/Fe2+ was 37.12%. Based on the satisfactory results achieved by VUV and VUV/Fe2+ in real waters, application strategies for VUV and VUV/Fe2+ were also proposed.

Automated summary

The study showed that in the vacuum UV (VUV) and VUV/Fe2+ processes, H2O2 and HO center dot play important roles in drug degradation, and HO2 center dot was also generated. The energy consumption of VUV/Fe2+ was always lower than VUV, with an energy-saving rate of 37.12%.