Adsorption and breakdown of penicillin antibiotic in the presence of titanium oxide nanoparticles in water

The fate and transport of antibiotics in natural water systems is controlled in part by interactions with nanometer (10−9 m) metal oxide particles. Experiments were performed by mixing solutions of ampicillin (AMP), a common, penicillin-class human and veterinary antibiotic, with 25 nm-TiO2 (anatase) nanoparticles at different pH conditions. Both sorption and degradation of AMP were observed in the AMP-nanoparticle solutions. For AMP concentrations from ∼3 μM to 2.9 mM the overall AMP removal from solution can be described by linear isotherms with removal coefficients (Kr) of 3028 (±267) L kg−1 at pH 2, 11,533 (±823) L kg−1 at pH 4, 12,712 (±672) L kg−1 at pH 6, and 1941 (±342) L kg−1 at pH 8. Mass spectral analysis of AMP solutions after removal of the solid nanoparticles yielded ions that indicate the presence of peniclloic acid, penilloic acid and related de-ammoniated by-products as possible compounds resulting from the degradation of AMP at the TiO2 surface.

► Interactions were studied between an antibiotic and TiO2 nanoparticles in water.
► Ampicillin adsorbs to TiO2nanos and also is rapidly degraded by TiO2 nanos.
► TiO2-enhanced degradation products include penilloic and penicilloic acids.
► TiO2 removes 100–10,000 times more antibiotic from water than Al2O3 nanoparticles.