Photochemical oxidative degradation studies of isoniazid in aqueous medium

Pharmaceutical compounds released into the aquatic environment are famed for their persistence in the environment. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are considered as the most efficient technology for the complete degradation and mineralisation of organic pollutants. This study describes an investigation on the degradation of the active pharmaceutical compound, isoniazid (INH), in aqueous medium. This study mainly utilized UV/H2O2 method for the efficient generation of center dot OH for its removal. The degradation was carried out under varying hydrogen peroxide concentration. The effects of the important water matrix such as humic acid, and anions on the degradation efficiency were also investigated in this study. The degradation increases with hydrogen peroxide concentration because of the availability of more hydroxyl radical. The water matrix also had a strong influence on the degradation. The end product analysis was carried out by using high-resolution mass spectrometry. Four products were identified and a degradation mechanism has been proposed. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.