Application of phyto-Fenton process in constructed wetland for the continuous removal of antibiotics

Abstract

Phyto-Fenton process utilizes the endogenous hydrogen peroxide in plants to degrade organic pollutants in presence of iron catalyst. In this study, we have applied the magnetite particles in continuous treatment system of constructed wetland (CW) to study the effectiveness in removing sulfamethoxazole (SMX) antibiotics. Experimental results demonstrated that SMX was removed by constructed wetlands in the presence and absence of magnetite fine particles. OH radical formation was observed in the plant+Fe system with electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The magnetite addition favoured the plant growth and endogenous H2O2. However, enhanced treatments by phyto-Fenton process were not enhanced in the presence of magnetite particles, but the plants+soil CWs showed better removal efficiencies compared to the soil CWs.