Chemical oxidation of sulfadiazine by the Fenton process: Kinetics,pathways, toxicity evaluation

This paper investigated sulfadiazine oxidation by the Fenton process under various reaction conditions. The reaction conditions tested in the experiments included the initial pH value of reaction solutions, and the dosages of ferrous ions and hydrogen peroxide. Under the reaction conditions with pH 3, 0.25 mM of ferrous ion and 2 mM of hydrogen peroxide, a removal efficiency of nearly 100% was achieved for sulfadiazine. A series of intermediate products including 4-OH-sulfadiazine/or 5-OH-sulfadiazine, 2-aminopyrimidine, sulfanilamide, formic acid, and oxalic acid were identified. Based on these products, the possible oxidation pathway of sulfadiazine by Fenton's reagent was proposed. The toxicity evaluation of reaction solutions showed increased antimicrobial effects following the Fenton oxidation process. The results from this study suggest that the Fenton oxidation process could remove sulfadiazine, but also increase solution toxicity due to the presence of more toxic products.     

Alterations in soil microbial activity and N-transformation processes due to sulfadiazine loads in pig-manure

Most veterinary drugs enter the environment via manure application. However, it is unclear how these substances interact with soil biota. Therefore, it was the aim of the present study to investigate the effects of manure containing different concentrations of the antibiotic sulfadiazine (SDZ) on the soil microbial communities. It was shown that manure alone has a stimulating effect on microbial activity. Only potential nitrification was negatively influenced by manure application. The addition of SDZ to the manure reduced microbial activity. Depending on the SDZ concentration, levels of activity were in the range of the control soil without manure application. Also, selected processes in nitrogen turnover were negatively influenced by the addition of SDZ to the manure, with nitrification being the only exception. The effects were visible for up to 4 days after application of the manure with or without SDZ and were correlated with the bioavailability of the antibiotic.     

Degradation of sulfonamides and formation of trihalomethanes by chlorination after pre-oxidation with Fe(VI)

Sulfonamides are used in human therapy, animal husbandry and agriculture but are not easily biodegradable, and are often detected in surface water. Sulfamethazine (SMZ) and sulfadiazine (SDZ) are two widely used sulfonamide antibiotics that are used heavily in agriculture. In this study, they were degraded in an aqueous system by chlorination after pre-oxidation with ferrate(VI) (Fe^VIO₄^2 ?, Fe(VI)), an environmentally friendly oxidation technique that has been shown to be effective in degrading various organics. The kinetics of the degradation were determined as a function of Fe(VI) (0–1.5 mg/L), free chlorine (0–1.8 mg/L) and temperature (15–35°C). According to the experimental results, SMZ chlorination followed second-order kinetics with increasing Fe(VI) dosage, and the effect of the initial free chlorine concentration on the reaction kinetics with pre-oxidation by Fe(VI) fitted a pseudo-first order model. The rate constants of SDZ and SMZ chlorination at different temperatures were related to the Arrhenius equation. Fe(VI) could reduce the levels of THMs formed and the toxicity of the sulfonamide degradation systems with Fe(VI) doses of 0.5–1.5 mg/L, which provides a reference for ensuring water quality in drinking water systems.     

Microbial response to repeated treatments of manure containing sulfadiazine and chlortetracycline in soil

Substantive addition of antibiotic-contaminated manure to agricultural soil may lead to “persistent” residues of antibiotics and may affect soil health. Therefore, this study examines the effects of repeated manure treatments containing sulfadiazine (SDZ) and chlortetracycline (CTC) residues, both individually and combined, on the functional diversity and structure of soil microbial communities in the soils under laboratory conditions. The average well color development (AWCD), Simpson diversity index (1/D, dominant populations), Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H′, richness), and McIntosh diversity index (U, evenness) in the antibiotics-treated soils decreased in the first 60-day treatment and then gradually recovered or even exceeded the initial level in the unamended soils with increasing treatment frequency. A total of 11 specific bands in temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) profiles were observed and sequence analyzed for five repeated treatments, and most of them belonged to the phyla Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria. These results indicate that repeated treatments of manure containing SDZ and CTC residues can alter soil microbial community structure, although they have a temporary suppression effect on soil microbial functional diversity.     

BiVO4光催化降解废水中高浓度磺胺嘧啶的研究

以五水合硝酸铋与偏钒酸铵为原料,采用水热反应法制备了不同晶体结构的钒酸铋(BiVO 4)光催化剂,分析了该催化剂对废水中高浓度磺胺嘧啶的处理效果。结果显示:BiVO 4光催化剂为单斜白钨矿型和四方锆石型,呈片状结构且颗粒分散性较好;磺胺嘧啶的光催化降解率与BiVO 4投加量、光照强度和反应时间呈正相关性,与磺胺嘧啶的初始浓度呈负相关性,随着BiVO 4合成pH值的增大呈先升高后下降的趋势;采用BiVO 4光催化剂处理磺胺嘧啶的最优条件为磺胺嘧啶初始浓度10 mg/L、合成pH=5,投加量0.25 g/L、10000 lux紫外光照下反应4 h,最优条件下的磺胺嘧啶平均去除率达到90.97%。