An optical method for monitoring the concentration of antibiotics in water in order to assess the effectiveness of its purification by a natural biocleaner

Abstract

At present, contamination of natural water sources with antibiotics has become of great concern. Existing treatment facilities do not fully solve the problem of fresh water conservation, methods of purification and process control of purification from antibiotics, are either complex or do not work at all. The most promising direction of water purification from pollutants is biological methods, since aquatic plants, as natural cleaners, contribute to the decomposition of pollutants and their transformation into harmless or less harmful compounds. Eichornia (water hyacinth) recognized, as the leader of this type of cleaner in the world. This article presents the measurement results of antibiotic concentration changes in water obtained by optical methods in order to assess the effectiveness of the purification process. The selection of the measuring signal due to the pollutant carried out in a differential way. The choice of the spectral range corresponded to the maximum absorption capacity of the dissolved substance. The impurity concentration was determined according to the calibration curve obtained for the given substance. The results of the samples analysis showed a significant decrease, almost three times, in the concentration of the pollutant, depending on the cleaning time. The article also discusses the thermal approach to the problem of waste biomass disposal. The conducted experiments showed that the energy value of the biomass is not high and is less than 8 MJ/kg with a large amount of ash residue. The result obtained can be useful for obtaining a source of hydrogen and synthesis gas or choosing a process for utilizing spent biomass.