Modeling and Optimization of the Electrochemical Process for Cefixime Removal from Water

Pharmaceutical compounds such as Cefixime (CFX) as an antibiotic were detected in water resources. These compounds in water has caused many problems including bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Some processes have been used to remove these compounds from water sources. In this research the effect of electrocoagulation process was investigated on CFX removal from water. Experiments were carried out as a batch mode in electrochemical reactor that was made from Plexiglas with dimensions of 10×15×10 cm (1 L volume) and Aluminum/Aluminum electrodes (48 cm2 effective area) that immersed vertically, monopole configuration and in parallel. Central Composite Design (CCD) utilizing a response surface methodology (RSM) was used with experimental points of pH, Initial CFX concentration, current intensity and Reaction time and employed by different model such as linear, interaction and quadratic models. The results of this study showed that the efficiency of four dependent parameters on CFX removal represent with four linear and six interactions effects that the reaction time and initial concentration of CFX have the most positive and negative effects on the removal of CFX (%), respectively. The optimum conditions for the electrocoagulation process was pH=7.5, a primary concentration of CFX=5.75 mg/L, a current intensity=6.0 amperes and a reaction time=72.5 minutes (CFX removal=85.6%).