Photodegradation of a Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Azithromycin Using H₂O₂ under Ultraviolet Irradiation

The photodegradation of azithromycin present was carried out in water using H₂O₂ under UV irradiation. The reaction variables considered in this study were the amount of H₂O₂ solution and the initial concentration of azithromycin to evaluate the performance of the photodegradation process. The azithromycin degradation was not observed in the dark during stirring for 20 min. The study showed an efficient photodegradation of azithromycin using H₂O₂ as an oxidant in the presence of UV irradiation. The azithromycin degradation was altered significantly by the pH of the irradiated solution. The degradation was low at an acidic pH and showed an increasing trend as the pH changed to basic. The azithromycin degradation increased with a higher amount (higher concentration) of H₂O₂. The degradation of azithromycin decreased with a higher concentration of azithromycin in the reacting solution. The highest degradation of AZT was achieved in 1 h using a 1.0 ppm AZT solution containing 3 mL of H₂O₂. The experimental data obtained were well-fitted to zero-order reaction kinetics. The results of this study were found quite excellent. They showed 100% degradation in 1 h when compared with those reported in the literature, both with photocatalysis using nanomaterials and photolysis using light irradiation and/or H₂O₂. The UV/H₂O₂ system was found to be quite efficient for the photodegradation of azithromycin, and this system can be applied to degrade other organic pollutants present in industrial wastewater.