Electron Beam Irradiation for Efficient Antibiotic Degradation in Aqueous Solutions

Background: Recently, extensive use of antibiotics has increased the amount of antibiotic residues in the natural water environment. Methods: This study presents an experimental investigation into the degradation of penicillins, tetracyclines, streptomycin and chloramphenicol in aqueous solutions when exposed to 1 MeV accelerated electrons with doses of 0.1, 1, 3 and 7 kGy using HPLC-HRMS analysis. Results: It was found that electron beam irradiation with a dose of 7 kGy ensures 98–99% removal of antibiotics, with the initial concentrations ranging from 15 mg/L to 30 mg/L depending on the class of antibiotic. The mathematical model proposed in the study, which estimates the dose dependencies of the relative concentrations of antibiotics and their degradation products in aqueous solutions, reveals different decomposition rates of antibiotics of different classes due to the different radiosensitivities of antibiotics. It has been found that tetracycline has a considerably higher radiation–chemical yield compared to the other antibiotics when exposed to accelerated electrons. Conclusions: Using density functional theory in combination with the mathematical model, we have developed a novel approach to establishing a quantitative irradiation marker of antibiotic degradation as a result of irradiation, which involves finding the degradation product whose formation requires a minimum number of ionization events. Using such an approach, it is possible to establish the extent of antibiotic degradation in water after irradiation with different doses and find the optimal irradiation doses for industrial water treatment.