Chinese scientists on Thursday said they have developed a new catalyst that can be used to eliminate antibiotics in water with high efficiency.
Tetracycline and malachite green are commonly used as antibiotics in biomedicine and aquaculture, however, they are difficult to degrade or remove and the residue poses a threat to the water environment and aquatic organisms.
Fenton system, a popular water cleaning technology, is commonly used to eliminate the antibiotics in water.
However, Fenton system works effectively only under strong acid conditions and is limited in application.
Scientists from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences tackled the problems by creating a nanoscale catalyst that broadens the pH application range of the Fenton system.
This novel catalyst displayed efficient elimination for several typical organic contaminants such as malachite green and tetracycline.
The research helps expand the Fenton-like catalyst family and has practical applications in the field of water treatment.
The research was published in the Journal of Environmental Management. (Xinhua/NAN)
