Degradation of veterinary antibiotic oxytetracycline using electron ionizing energy

Electron ionizing energy was used to determine the degradation rate and degraded products of oxytetracycline in aqueous solutions. The degradation efficiency on oxytetracycline after irradiation with electron ionizing energy was 72.2% at 1 kGy, 99.2% at 5 kGy, and 100% at 10 kGy. The degraded products of oxytetracycline after irradiation with electron ionizing energy were OTC1 ([M+H] m/z 447.2), OTC2 ([M+H] m/z 433.2) and OTC3 ([M+H] m/z 415.2). The results demonstrate that the irradiation technology using electron ionizing energy is an effective means to remove veterinary antibiotics in aquatic ecosystem.