WCW24

Pharmaceutical micropollutants such as antibiotics are extensively used for the treatment of diverse infections by killing bacteria, leading to their excretion into wastewater following human metabolism. This phenomenon contributes to the contamination of aquatic systems through the introduction of antibiotic residues. Tetracycline Hydrochloride (TC-HCl), a common pharmaceutical antibiotic often found in wastewater, presents environmental and health risks due to its persistence, potential toxicity, and association with antibiotic resistance, as well as its ability to disrupt aquatic ecosystems. For this, efficient removal, and treatment of TC-HCl from wastewater are crucial to prevent the emergence of antibiotic resistance in environment. This study investigates the application of Electrooxidation, using a Boron-Doped Diamond (BDD) electrode, as a sustainable approach for TC-HCl removal. The research focused on evaluating the impact of different TC-HCL concentrations (4000, 8000, 12000 µg/L); time intervals (every 15 minutes up to 1 hour), pH levels (3.5, 7, 9), current densities (6, 10, 14 mA/cm²) on the efficiency of TC-HCL removal from wastewater aiming to enhance the understanding and optimization of this electrochemical process. The electrooxidation process involves the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through the application of an electric potential to the BDD electrode submerged in wastewater. These ROS initiate the oxidative degradation of TC-HCl, transforming it into less harmful byproducts. The choice of the BDD electrode brings unique advantages, such as high conductivity, chemical stability, and resistance to fouling, making it a promising method for sustainable wastewater treatment. The investigation begins by examining the impact of current densities found a positive correlation between higher current density and increased TC-HCl removal. This observation suggests that elevated electrooxidation intensity contributes to enhanced degradation kinetics for TC-HCL removal. The influence of pH levels shows that in alkaline conditions, particularly at pH 9, exhibit the highest removal rate, reaching 93.36%. The alkaline environment is conducive to the electrooxidation process, promoting the generation of ROS and facilitating the breakdown of TC-HCl molecules. It is also observed that extended treatment durations, especially beyond 45 minutes to 1 hour, result in enhanced TC-HCl removal. This suggests that extended operation time positively correlate with enhanced TC-HCL removal. However, the study uncovers an inverse relationship between TC-HCl removal efficiency and initial concentration. Lower concentrations (4000 µg/L) exhibit excellent removal rates compared to higher concentrations (8000, 12000 µg/L). This observation could be attributed to the saturation effect or competitive adsorption mechanisms at higher concentrations, leading to reduced removal efficiency. In summary, the electrooxidation process employing a Boron-doped Diamond electrode demonstrated promising results for tetracycline hydrochloride removal from wastewater. The pH, current density, and initial concentration were identified as critical factors influencing the efficiency of the process. The optimal conditions were found to be at high pH (9), high current density (14 mA/cm²), and an operation time of 1 hour. This study contributes valuable insights into the design and optimization of electrooxidation processes for the removal of pharmaceutical contaminants from wastewater. Further research is required to explore the underlying mechanisms and potential scale-up applications for real-world wastewater treatment scenarios.