Photodegradation of the Antibiotic Penicillin G in the Aqueous Solution Using UV-A Radiation

Background and Highly consumption of antibiotics and their entrance into the environment has increased concerns all over the world. These compounds enter to the environment through an incomplete metabolism and a considerable amount of them cannot be removed using usual waste filtration systems. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using ultraviolet radiation (UV-A) to remove penicillin G (PENG) from aqueous phase and determining its removal efficiency. The experiments were carried out in the batch mode. The samples were assessed in a 2-liter reactor. In order to investigate the effect of UV-A radiation on the removal rate of antibiotic penicillin G (PENG), the following parameters were studied. Three concentration levels of PENG antibiotic (10,25,and 45 mg/l) were exposed to UV-A at three pH levels (3,7,11) and were evaluated at four reaction times (30,60,90, and 120 min). Antibiotic penicillin G (PENG) was determined using HPLC instrument (Waters YL9100,USA) and results analyzed using factorial design software. The finding demonstrated that antibiotic removal rate increased by decreasing pH and decreasing the initial concentration of antibiotic and increasing contact time. The maximum rate of penicillin G removal occurred in acidic pH (pH=3) is as much as 38%. All of the variables in the process have been statistically significant effect (p<0.001). Results showed that by reducing the pH, increasing contact time and reducing the antibiotic concentration, the removal rate increases. In conclusion, photodegradation process using UV-A may enhance the rate of penicillin G degradation in polluted water and could be used as a complementary step for other chemical and biological processes to remove penicillin G from the aqueous solution. Therefore, UV-A process in conjugate with the other processes is an appropriate method for reducing antibiotic penicillin G in polluted water resources.