A Comparative Study of Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Removal of the Antibiotic Sulfadoxine from Water—Transformation Products and Toxicity
Sulfonamides, including sulfadoxine (SDX), are widely used antibiotics, particularly for malaria treatment. However, their extensive use has led to environmental pollution, microbial resistance, and public health risks. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) offer promising methods to degrade such poll...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Panagiotis A. Bizirtsakis Kyriaki Anagnostopoulou Vasilis C. Sarasidis Panagiota Petsi Alexandra Moschona Konstantinos V. Plakas Dimitra A. Lambropoulou |
| author_facet | Panagiotis A. Bizirtsakis Kyriaki Anagnostopoulou Vasilis C. Sarasidis Panagiota Petsi Alexandra Moschona Konstantinos V. Plakas Dimitra A. Lambropoulou |
| author_sort | Panagiotis A. Bizirtsakis |
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| description | Sulfonamides, including sulfadoxine (SDX), are widely used antibiotics, particularly for malaria treatment. However, their extensive use has led to environmental pollution, microbial resistance, and public health risks. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) offer promising methods to degrade such pollutants in water, though they may generate more toxic by-products. This study evaluates three AOPs with different hydroxyl radical generation principles: the Fenton reagent (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>/Fe<sup>2+</sup>), hydrogen peroxide photolysis (UV-C/H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>), and heterogeneous photocatalysis (UV-A/TiO<sub>2</sub>). Heterogeneous photocatalysis showed superior performance, achieving 100% degradation and 77% mineralization under optimized conditions. Further analysis explored the effects of UV dose, catalyst concentration, and pH on process efficiency. The influence of water matrices, including Ultrapure Water (UW), Tap Water (TW), and Surface Water (SW) from the Aliakmonas River, was also examined. High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry identified 11 SDX transformation products formed during photocatalysis, with their formation mechanisms reported for the first time. An ecotoxicity assessment using ECOSAR software revealed insights into the potential environmental impact of these by-products. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-8673b73763ef4348a017250df3e814412025-01-24T13:20:50ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-01-0115279310.3390/app15020793A Comparative Study of Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Removal of the Antibiotic Sulfadoxine from Water—Transformation Products and ToxicityPanagiotis A. Bizirtsakis0Kyriaki Anagnostopoulou1Vasilis C. Sarasidis2Panagiota Petsi3Alexandra Moschona4Konstantinos V. Plakas5Dimitra A. Lambropoulou6Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas, 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceCentre for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI-AUTH), Balkan Center, 10th km Thessaloniki-Thermi Rd, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceChemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas, 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceChemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas, 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceChemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas, 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceChemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas, 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceSchool of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University, Tsamadou 13-15, 26222 Patras, GreeceSulfonamides, including sulfadoxine (SDX), are widely used antibiotics, particularly for malaria treatment. However, their extensive use has led to environmental pollution, microbial resistance, and public health risks. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) offer promising methods to degrade such pollutants in water, though they may generate more toxic by-products. This study evaluates three AOPs with different hydroxyl radical generation principles: the Fenton reagent (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>/Fe<sup>2+</sup>), hydrogen peroxide photolysis (UV-C/H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>), and heterogeneous photocatalysis (UV-A/TiO<sub>2</sub>). Heterogeneous photocatalysis showed superior performance, achieving 100% degradation and 77% mineralization under optimized conditions. Further analysis explored the effects of UV dose, catalyst concentration, and pH on process efficiency. The influence of water matrices, including Ultrapure Water (UW), Tap Water (TW), and Surface Water (SW) from the Aliakmonas River, was also examined. High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry identified 11 SDX transformation products formed during photocatalysis, with their formation mechanisms reported for the first time. An ecotoxicity assessment using ECOSAR software revealed insights into the potential environmental impact of these by-products.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/793sulfadoxineFenton reactionUV-C photolysisheterogeneous photocatalysistransformation products identification |
| spellingShingle | Panagiotis A. Bizirtsakis Kyriaki Anagnostopoulou Vasilis C. Sarasidis Panagiota Petsi Alexandra Moschona Konstantinos V. Plakas Dimitra A. Lambropoulou A Comparative Study of Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Removal of the Antibiotic Sulfadoxine from Water—Transformation Products and Toxicity Applied Sciences sulfadoxine Fenton reaction UV-C photolysis heterogeneous photocatalysis transformation products identification |
| title | A Comparative Study of Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Removal of the Antibiotic Sulfadoxine from Water—Transformation Products and Toxicity |
| title_full | A Comparative Study of Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Removal of the Antibiotic Sulfadoxine from Water—Transformation Products and Toxicity |
| title_fullStr | A Comparative Study of Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Removal of the Antibiotic Sulfadoxine from Water—Transformation Products and Toxicity |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Comparative Study of Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Removal of the Antibiotic Sulfadoxine from Water—Transformation Products and Toxicity |
| title_short | A Comparative Study of Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Removal of the Antibiotic Sulfadoxine from Water—Transformation Products and Toxicity |
| title_sort | comparative study of advanced oxidation processes for the removal of the antibiotic sulfadoxine from water transformation products and toxicity |
| topic | sulfadoxine Fenton reaction UV-C photolysis heterogeneous photocatalysis transformation products identification |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/2/793 |
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