Heat-activated persulfate oxidative degradation of ofloxacin: Kinetics, mechanisms, and toxicity assessment

The widespread occurrence of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as ofloxacin (OFX), in natural water and soil has received increasing attention terms their potentially dangerous impacts on public health ecosystems. In this study, the kinetics mechanisms OFX degradation by heat-activated persulfate (HAP) was investigated. Results showed that could be achieved effectively fitted well with pseudo-first-order reaction model HAP system. efficiency dramatically enhanced increased temperature initial dosage inhibited presence common coexisting matrices (e.g., bicarbonate, chloride, humic acid). Quenching tests electron paramagnetic resonance studies demonstrated simultaneous contribution both radicals sulfate having a slightly higher effect than hydroxyl process OFX. Various intermediates were characterized using High-performance liquid chromatography-Mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS), detailed pathways proposed. And toxicity its intermediate products predicted Ecological Structure-Activity Relationships (ECOSAR) Toxicity Estimation Software Tools (TEST).