Electrocatalytic Degradation of Levofloxacin, a Typical Antibiotic in Hospital Wastewater

Presently, in the context of the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, several antibiotics are overused in hospitals, causing heavy pressure on the hospital’s wastewater treatment process. Therefore, developing stable, safe, and efficient hospital wastewater treatment equipment is crucial. Herein, a bench-scale electrooxidation equipment for hospital wastewater was used to evaluate the removal effect of the main antibiotic levofloxacin (LVX) in hospital wastewater using response surface methodology (RSM). During the degradation process, the influence of the following five factors on total organic carbon (TOC) removal was discussed and the best reaction condition was obtained: current density, initial pH, flow rate, chloride ion concentration, and reaction time of 39.6 A/m(2), 6.5, 50 mL/min, 4‰, and 120 min, respectively. The TOC removal could reach 41% after a reaction time of 120 min, which was consistent with the result predicted by the response surface (40.48%). Moreover, the morphology and properties of the electrode were analyzed. The degradation pathway of LVX was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Subsequently, the bench-scale electrooxidation equipment was changed into onboard-scale electrooxidation equipment, and the onboard-scale equipment was promoted to several hospitals in Dalian.