ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Toxicity reduction of 2-(5-nitrofuryl)acrylic acid following Fenton reaction treatment

Tomáš Mackuľak, Petra Olejníková, Josef Prousek, and Ľubomír Švorc

Department of Environmental Engineering, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37 Bratislava, Slovakia

E-mail: lubomir.svorc@stuba.sk

Abstract: Monitoring the enforcement of an EU-wide ban of nitrofuran antibiotics in the food production chain is a challenging task, given the nature of nitrofuran compounds. The original and modified Fenton reactions are advanced oxidation processes that can eliminate the toxicity of nitrofurans. 2-(5-Nitrofuryl)acrylic acid (I) was degraded as a model compound by the original Fenton reaction with ferrous sulphate, by Mohr’s salt at pH 3 and 7, and finally by advanced Fenton process (AFP) (Fe⁰/H₂O₂/H₂SO₄). In addition, the growth inhibition of Escherichia coli, a G⁻ bacterium, was tested both before and after AFP treatment. The results showed that a small degradation efficiency of this treatment process led to the toxicity changes and that the toxicity of I after AFP treatment process decreased. It seems that the treatment of polluted water using the Fenton reaction and its modifications would be a suitable method for degradation of nitrofuran derivatives in polluted water.

Keywords: Fenton reaction – degradation – 2-(5-nitrofuryl)acrylic acid – toxicity

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-011-0075-5

Chemical Papers 65 (6) 835–839 (2011)