Electrochemical Hydrogen Peroxide Generation and Removal of Moxifloxacin by Electro-Fenton Process

Abstract

In this study, the removal of moxifloxacin, an antibiotic of the fluoroquinolone group, from aqueous solutions was investigated using the electro-Fenton process. As the efficiency of the electro-Fenton process is highly dependent on the amount of H2O2 produced during process, the formation of H2O2 under acidic conditions was also investigated. In this context, the effects of applied current, cathode type and O2 flow rate on H2O2 production were investigated using boron-doped diamond anode. The highest H2O2 production was achieved using the boron-doped diamond anode and the graphite felt cathode. In addition, the optimum conditions for the applied current and oxygen flow rate for H2O2 production were determined to be 0.25 A and 0.1 L min−1, respectively. The effects of applied current and Fe2+ concentration in the electro-Fenton process on the removal of moxifloxacin were investigated. It was found that the moxifloxacin removal rate increased with increasing applied current. The highest H2O2 accumulation was observed at 0.25 A applied current, and moxifloxacin removal also reached 93.6% after 60 min. The moxifloxacin removal rate reached the highest value at Fe2+ concentration of 0.01 mM. This study provides promising results for the efficient treatment of moxifloxacin-containing wastewater by the electro-Fenton process without the addition of H2O2 using boron-doped diamond anode anode and graphite felt cathode.