Optimized photocatalytic degradation of pefloxacin by TiO2/UV process

Resumo

The photocatalytic degradation of pefloxacin was studied using modified TiO₂ as a photocatalyst. The effect of various parameters such as the amount of the photocatalyst, the initial concentration of pefloxacin, initial pH value on the process were investigated, and the optimal conditions were determined. The optimal amount of the photocatalyst is 0.3 g/L. The photodegradation rate of pefloxacin decreases with the increase of initial concentration. Alkaline medium is favorable for the photocatalytic degradation process. The primary photo-degradation products were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and thus the process mechanism was discussed.