Porphyrin mediated photodegradation of tylosin in aqueous media by near-UV light

Tylosin is one of the most used livestock antibiotics, typically employed as a prophylactic and a growth promoter. However, there have been growing concerns that the presence of antibiotics in wastewater sources can contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. Thus, attempts have been made by researchers to develop techniques capable of removing antibiotics from wastewater. This study evaluated the photocatalytic properties of three types of porphyrin molecules to break down tylosin in deionized water. It was observed that when irradiated with 3.06 eV light the concentration of tylosin decreases by 13.88% after 180 min in the presence of octoethylporphyrin. Similarly, after 180-minute exposure the concentration of tylosin decreases by 17.92% in the presence of tetraphenylporphyrin. Lastly, in the presence of copper (II) tetraphenylporphyrin the concentration of tylosin was observed to decrease by 21.20% after 180-minute exposure to near UV light. Furthermore, it was observed that in the presence of CuTPP the concentration of tylosin decreased by up to 12.54% in a pond water sample over a 24 h period. The initial results indicate that porphyrins present as a plausible candidate for organic photocatalysts to facilitate removal of antibiotic contaminants from aquatic sources.