Development of a novel photocatalyst for the advanced antibiotic oxidation of wastewater

Background Between 2000 and 2010, the consumption of antibiotics in 71 countries increased by 36% [1]. The rise of antibiotic consumption is expected to continue, considering the potential genetic mutation of super bacteria. Most antibiotics cannot be fully metabolised by the human body [2] and are excreted into the environment via wastewater effluents. Typical biological treatment processes, which have been used for several decades in wastewater treatment, normally require a long processing time for the development of new cells in biomass. More importantly, antibiotics are not easily degraded by bacteria, so the removal of antibiotics from wastewater is of only low efficiency. Researchers have therefore recently attempted an advanced oxidation processes (AOP) for the treatment of antibiotics in wastewater. In addition to the widely used photocatalyst TiO2, bismuth oxybromide, BiOBr, has received much attention in recent years for its generation of hydroxyl radicals, due to its high stability and low band gaps. This study aims to modify BiOBr for enhancing the oxidation of antibiotics. Success in this study will bring a new insight to the understanding of catalysis.