Electrochemical degradation of ciprofloxacin from water: Modeling and prediction using ANN and LSSVM

Ciprofloxacin is a widely used antibiotic that is also a persistent contamination that causes major health and environmental risks. This study investigated the electrochemical removal of ciprofloxacin using a boron-doped diamond anode and a non-supportive electrode to get an accurate understanding of the anode's performance. The effects of current density, initial ciprofloxacin concentration, time, pH, and electrolyte concentration on the removal efficiency of ciprofloxacin were investigated. Additionally, ANN and LSSVM models were used to predict ciprofloxacin removal. The results showed that the BDD anode was effective in removing ciprofloxacin from water, with complete removal of 10 mg L−1 CIP in less than 45 min with electrolyte concentration of 25 g L−1, a current density of 20 mA cm−2, and a pH value of 3. The removal efficiency was found to increase with increasing current density and time because it increases the concentration of active species. The removal efficiency was also found to be higher at acidic pH values and higher electrolyte concentrations. The ANN model was found to be more accurate in predicting ciprofloxacin removal than the LSSVM model, with an R2 of 0.9982 and an AARE% of 2.68%, compared to R2 of 0.9978 and an AARE% of 3.85%. The models were validated using a new set of data, and the results showed that the ANN model was able to accurately predict ciprofloxacin removal under a variety of conditions.