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Mechanistic insight into enhanced florfenicol degradation by micro-nano bubbles ozonation in mariculture wastewater

Chaoxiang Liu1, Jiaxin Lei1, Xiaodian Huang2

  • 1College of Environment & Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, PR China.

Environmental Research
|April 20, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Micro-nano bubbles ozonation (MNB-O3) effectively removes florfenicol (FF) from mariculture wastewater, surpassing conventional methods. This advanced technique enhances ozone transfer and reactive oxygen species generation for efficient antibiotic degradation and reduced toxicity.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Water Treatment Technology
  • Chemical Engineering

Background:

  • Intensive mariculture uses antibiotics like florfenicol (FF), leading to ecological risks including persistence, bioaccumulation, and antibiotic resistance.
  • Conventional macro-bubble ozonation (MaB-O3) is inefficient for FF degradation in complex mariculture wastewater due to poor ozone mass transfer and low reactivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of micro-nano bubbles ozonation (MNB-O3) for florfenicol (FF) removal from mariculture wastewater.
  • To compare the performance of MNB-O3 with conventional macro-bubble ozonation (MaB-O3).
  • To elucidate the degradation pathways and identify the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in FF removal.

Main Methods:

  • Comparison of FF degradation efficiency between MNB-O3 and MaB-O3 in actual mariculture wastewater and artificial seawater.
  • Investigation of reaction kinetics and the influence of alkaline conditions on FF degradation.
  • Identification of ROS using radical probe experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR).
  • Elucidation of degradation pathways using LC-QTOF-MS and DFT calculations.
  • Assessment of treatment efficacy using luminescent bacteria assays for toxicity reduction.

Main Results:

  • MNB-O3 achieved 99.13 ± 0.08% FF removal, significantly outperforming MaB-O3.
  • The pseudo-first-order rate constant for MNB-O3 was 3.9 times higher than MaB-O3 in ultrapure water and 2.4 times higher in artificial seawater.
  • Alkaline conditions enhanced ROS generation and FF degradation.
  • Degradation involved defluorination, dechlorination, and hydroxylation, with ROS playing a predominant role.
  • The treatment significantly reduced the acute toxicity of the wastewater.

Conclusions:

  • Micro-nano bubbles ozonation (MNB-O3) is a highly efficient technology for removing florfenicol from mariculture wastewater.
  • MNB-O3 offers superior ozone mass transfer and ROS generation compared to MaB-O3, leading to enhanced degradation.
  • This technology presents a promising solution for antibiotic abatement in mariculture effluents, mitigating ecological risks.
Keywords:
Degradation mechanismFlorfenicolMariculture wastewaterMicro-nano bubblesOzonation

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