Photocatalytic degradation of Penicillin G in aqueous solutions: Kinetic, degradation pathway, and microbioassays assessment

The photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical micropollutants of Penicillin G (PG) was investigated in a photoreactor at a laboratory scale. The impact of type of catalyst, pH, and initial concentration of PG were studied. Maximum removal efficiency was obtained at pH = 6.8, [ZnO]₀ = 0.8 g L^-1, and [PG]₀ = 5 mg L^-1 and reaction time of 150 min. The addition of persulfate sodium (PPS) enhanced the efficiency of the photocatalytic reaction. The efficiency of photolysis process in the presence of PPS was significantly improved to 72.72% compared to the classical photocatalysis system (56.71%). Optimum concentration of PPS to completely degraded PG was found to be 500 mg L^-1. The QuEChERS extraction, GC-MS/MS method, and concentration technique showed favorable performance identification of the possible mechanism of PG degradation pathway. Toxicity of PG and its by-products were evaluated using microbioassays assessment based on nine selected bacterial strains. Results confirmed the effectiveness of the implemented system and its safe use via the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, which has illustrated significant activity. Due to the high efficiency, facility benefits, and low-cost of the suggested process, the process can be considered for the degradation of various pharmaceutical contaminants in pharmaceutical industry treatment under the optimal conditions.