Ionic treatment for removal of sulfonamide and tetracycline classes of antibiotic.

Self-decomposition and removal of antibiotics by ionic treatment was evaluated in this study. Seven sulfonamide classes (SA) and seven tetracycline classes (TA) of antibiotic were selected for this purpose. According to this study, self-decomposition of SAs and TAs was slow, and a considerable amount of antibiotics still remained after 15 days. Ionic treatment was effective for removal of SAs and TAs, but organic interference was observed. When dissolved organic (DOC) was present in raw water, the removal performance of antibiotics generally deteriorated due to competition with organics. SAs and TAs, which were present in ionic form at neutral pH, were removed through ion exchange. Their removal efficiencies were closely related to their chemical structure. Antibiotics with stronger electronegativity were easier to remove by ionic treatment. Equilibrium equations for removal of SAs and TAs by ionic treatment were also presented.