Catalytic degradation of amoxicillin from water by a combined system of ultrasound/HO/KI.

A new combined system of ultrasound (US)/ HO/KI was presented in this study for the degradation of amoxicillin (AMX). Various parameters that influencing the degradation efficiency, such as ultrasonic power, pH value of the solution, concentrations of HO and KI, initial concentration of AMX were investigated. The maximum degradation efficiency of 84.1% in 60 min was obtained under the optimal conditions when the ultrasonic power was 195 W, the solution pH was 3.2, the concentrations of HO and KI were 120 and 2.4 mmol/L, respectively. Results also showed US/HO/KI system possessed better degradation efficiency compared with that by using the systems of US alone, HO, US/HO, US/KI and HO/KI. The degradation reaction of AMX should be a very complex process, and the corresponding degradation pathways may change at different concentrations or under different reaction conditions. The results indicate that the combined system of US/ HO/KI has great potential applications for the treatment of wastewater containing antibiotics with high concentrations.