Ciprofloxacin removal by Ozonation from aqueous solutions

Ciprofloxacin is one of the most important synthetic antibiotics from the fluoroquinolone group and is widely used in medicine and veterinary medicine. The presence of fluorine atom in its composition has made stability and Sustainability. Recently, ozone is used for wastewater treatment, odor control and removal of persistent organic compounds. Ozone acts through direct oxidation or the mechanisms of chain reactions that result in the release of hydroxyl radicals.
Goal: The aim of this study was to determine the efficiency of ciprofloxacin removal by ozonation process from aqueous solutions.
Material and In this study, at first, concentrations of produced ozone of generator were determined by iodometric method. The studied parameters in the process includingciprofloxacin concentrations of 10-50 mg/L, pH of 3-12, a reaction time of 60 min and an ozone concentration of 1.4 mg/lit.min was investigated in a semiconductor reactor. The remained concentrations of ciprofloxacin in the samples were measured by HPLC.
In the optimal condition, at pH: 12, O3: 1.4 gr/lit.min, and initial antibiotic concentration of 10 mg/L, 94.6% of ciprofloxacin was removed.
The results showed that ozonation can be a suitable method for removal of ciprofloxacin antibiotic from aqueous solutions.