Degradation kinetics and mechanism of β-lactam antibiotics by the activation of H2O2 and Na2S2O8 under UV-254 nm irradiation

- Removal efficiency was comparable at different UV fluence rates but same fluence.
- Reducing pH to 3 or 2 did not inhibit the removal of nitrobenzene by UV/S2O82−.
- 1.84 × 10−14 M [HO
- ]ss and 3.10 × 10−13 M [SO4
- −]ss in UV/S2O82− were estimated.
- HO
- reacted faster with the β-lactams than SO4
- − but sharing similar byproducts.
- Transformation pathways included hydroxylation, hydrolysis and decarboxylation.