Degradation Effect of Sulfa Antibiotics by Potassium Ferrate Combined with Ultrasound (Fe(VI)-US)

Sulfa antibiotics are a family of typical broad-spectrum antibiotics, which have become one of the most frequently detected antibiotics in water, posing a great threat to human health and ecosystem. Potassium ferrate is a new type of high-efficiency multifunctional water treatment agent, collecting the effects of oxidation, adsorption, flocculation, coagulation, sterilization, and deodorization. Performance and mechanism of degradation of typical broad-spectrum antibiotics by Fe(VI)-US were further studied, investigating the degradation effect of sulfa antibiotics by single ultrasound, single potassium ferrate, and potassium ferrate-ultrasound (Fe(VI)-US). It was found that Fe(VI)-US technology had a significant role in promoting the degradation of sulfa antibiotics via orthogonal experiments. Factors evaluated included sulfa antibiotics type, pH value, potassium ferrate dosage, ultrasonic frequency, and ultrasonic power, with the pH value and potassium ferrate dosage being affected most significantly. One reason for synergy facilitating the degradation is the common oxidation of potassium ferrate and ultrasound, and the other is that Fe(III) produced promotes the degradation rate. According to the product analysis and degradation pathways of three sulfa antibiotics, ferrate-sonication sulfa antibiotics are removed by hydroxyl radical oxidation.