The exploration of Ti/SnO2-Sb anode/air diffusion cathode/UV dual photoelectric catalytic coupling system for the biological harmless treatment of real antibiotic industrial wastewater

The real antibiotic industrial wastewater with the characteristics of complex compositions, biological toxic, and degradation-resistant, is still biologically toxic to the ecosystem and human health even if the discharge standards have been met after treatment by traditional methods. Therefore, the biological harmless treatment of real antibiotic industrial wastewater is a valuable and meaningful research field. For the first time, a novel Ti/SnO2-Sb anode/air diffusion cathode/UV dual photo-electro catalysis coupling system (T-A-PE) for real antibiotic industrial wastewater treatment was investigated. Non-significant degradation was found in raw wastewater with high TOC = 2.61 × 103 mg·L−1. However, the increasing TOC removal with more dilution times indicated adaptability of T-A-PE system with lower organic matter loading. The highest 95.6% removal of TOC was obtained at 120 min, with 7.06 mA·cm−2 of current density and 200 dilution times. The high mineralization efficiency of T-A-PE system surpassed those of pure photo and electro catalysis combined, suggesting a significant synergistic effect between photo and electro catalysis. Neutral condition and current density = 7.06 mA·cm−2 are prior for pollutants mineralization, while acidic/alkaline conditions and unproper current density may cause faster side reactions. The GC–MS results demonstrated that the number of pollutant category dropped from 26 to 6 after treatment, with the concentrations of remained ones also remarkably decreased. The acute toxicity analysis using a luminescent bacteria method indicated that the treated wastewater by T-A-PE system was biological harmless