Modified sono-Fenton process for oxidative degradation of chloramphenicol.

Oxidative degradation of chloramphenicol (CAP) using a hybrid approach (US/HA⁺/n-Fe₂O₃/SPC) involving sodium percarbonate (SPC; "solid H₂O₂" carrier), Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (n-Fe₂O₃; H₂O₂ decomposition catalyst), hydroxylamine in its protonated form (HA⁺; Fe (III) to Fe (II) reducer), and ultrasonic cavitation (to increase the generation of hydroxyl radicals) has been studied for the first time. The average size of n-Fe₂O₃ synthesized by the sonochemical method, as calculated according to the Debye–Scherrer equation, was ~ 18 nm. The maximum degradation degree of CAP (83.1%) and first-order oxidative degradation rate constant of CAP as 1.253 × 10^–3 s⁻¹ were achieved using the modified sono-Fenton process under the optimized conditions as the initial concentration of CAP – 50 mg/L, the molar ratio of CAP:HA⁺:n-Fe₂O₃:SPC of 1:100:100:100, pH as 3, the temperature as 318 K, the specific ultrasonic power as 53.3 W/L, and the treatment duration of 7200 s. In general, the efficiency and intensity of CAP degradation increased with a decrease in the pH value, an increase in the molar ratio of CAP:HA⁺:n-Fe₂O₃:SPC, a decrease in the initial concentration of CAP, an increase in temperature, and showed a minor change with the specific power of US. The synergistic coefficient for the combination of the US and the heterogeneous Fenton process was 17.9. The active participation of hydroxyl radicals in the oxidative degradation of CAP using the modified sono-Fenton process was confirmed by scavenging experiments performed using tert-butyl alcohol. The proposed process can be a promising direction in the remediation of pharmaceutical effluents with significant potential for commercial exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]