A systematic review on photo-Fenton process as an efficient advanced oxidation for degradation of amoxicillin in aqueous environments

Amoxicillin (AMX) is one of the antibiotics in the penicillin category that is used in various fields. Considering the harmful effects of its remains, it is necessary to survey the ways to remove this compound. Advanced oxidation process (AOPs), specially photo-Fenton has been used for the removal of AMX. This study has been conducted based on PubMed, Google Scholar, DOAJ, Web of Science, and Scopus databases during the years 2008-2019. Some factors such as the aquatic solution, light source characteristics, iron, and H2O2 concentration, AMX degradation percentage, removal of total organic carbon percentage, and AMX concentration have been surveyed to optimize the process. Studies showed that the photo-Fenton process is highly dependent on pH, and in most studies, the highest efficiency has been observed in acidic pH values. Using a more energy light source can be effective in reducing the use of catalysts and oxidizers. The combined methods of AOPs such as photo-Fenton, electro-Fenton, and photo-electro-Fenton have higher efficiency in increasing mineralization than the photon process. The use of synthetic wastewater has a higher efficiency in the degradation of AMX than in real wastewater in the photo-Fenton process, which can be due to the absence of the interfering agents in synthetic environments.