Fluoroquinolone antibiotics are emerging water contaminants that are poorly removed by traditional water treatment processes. Moxifloxacin is a fluoroquinolone that is released to the environment primarily by incomplete metabolism by humans and animals. Causing unknown impacts to the environment and neurological damage in humans, this research investigates the UV photodegradation of moxifloxacin in order to improve water treatment of moxifloxacin-contaminated water sources. 0.15 mM moxifloxacin solutions were radiated under UV, UV/H2O2, or UV/H2O2/FeSO4●7H2O. Samples were collected at various time points and analyzed by HPLC. After discovering UV/H2O2/FeSO4●7H2O (photo-Fenton system) caused greatest degradation (k = 8.51 × 10-2 s-1), similar radiating methods were used to analyze the role of reactive species singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radical. Competition agents furfural and acetophenone and sensitizers rose bengal and H2O2 were used to evaluate rate constants for both reactive species. Hydroxyl radical may play a more significant role in degradation (k = 8.4 × 109 M-1s-1) than singlet oxygen (k = 6.7 × 104 M-1s-1). Steps in the future will investigate the concentrations of singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radical and the degradation of moxifloxacin when placed in solution with organic materials, analyzing the presence and toxicity of the products of degradation.

Analysis of UV photodegradation of fluoroquinolone compound moxifloxacin

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.