Removal of Tetracycline and Oxytetracycline in Water by a Reverse Osmosis Membrane

In recent years, the occurrence and fate of antibiotics in the aquatic environment have been the subjects of many investigations in several countries. Tetracyclines (TCs) comprise an important group of pharmaceuticals in today's human and veterinary medical practice. However, they undergo slow degradation and transformation in the aquatic environment. The removal of tetracycline (TC) and oxytetracycline (OTC) from synthetic solutions by a reverse osmosis membrane was studied. The effects of the operation parameters of the membrane, feed concentration and salinity were investigated on the removal of TCs. High removal efficiencies (>90%) were observed for TC and OTC with the RO membrane used. Removal efficiency of OTC by RO is a bit higher than TC.