An experimental study on bioremediation and photolysis of enrofloxacin

Recent studies have identified the occurrence of a vast number of pharmaceuticals into the municipal wastewater through excreted urine and feces. Some of these pharmaceutical compounds are degraded in the environment. However, there have been reports on the presence of pharmaceutical active compounds in drinking water. Concerns have been raised over the potential adverse effects of these pharmaceuticals on public health and the aquatic environment. In order to investigate the removal process of pharmaceutical enrofloxacin, a unit consisting of a structured packing rotating biological contactor (spRBC) was designed and constructed as a biological treatment unit. The removal rate reached a maximum of 70% in this biological unit. In the meantime, the effect of photolysis process on the effluent of the biological unit was also studied. In the direct photolysis, the removal performance reached 51% and by adding H₂O₂ the removal efficiency was increased to 87%. The removal efficiency for the entire system including spRBC and an ultraviolet radiation unit was 94%.