An Investigationof the Influence of Radical Scavengers and Promoters on the Degradation of Cefixime by an Atmospheric Continuous Flow Plasma Reactor

Non-thermal plasma technology provides a novel means by which persistent microorganic pollutants, like pharmaceutical drugs with low biodegradability, can be oxidized in water. In this study, the degradation of cefixime antibiotics with a water-falling dielectric barrier discharge reactor was reported. The results indicated that 5 mg/L of the antibiotic was completely removed in 5 min treatment time with an alternating current voltage of 6 kV. The intermediate products formed during the process were analyzed and a possible degradation path was proposed. The effects of radical scavengers and promoters and a combination of these were also investigated. The results also showed the active participation of hydroxyl radicals in the removal of cefixime from water. The addition of Fe
²⁺
was observed to have a positive influence on the rate of reaction and energy efficiency even in combination with radical scavengers. Meanwhile, the degradation efficiency of the pollutant improved with pH ranging from 2 to 9.