High-efficiency electrochemical degradation of antiviral drug abacavir using a penetration flux porous Ti/SnO2-Sb anode.

Electrochemical degradation of antiviral drug abacavir was investigated by using a penetration flux porous Ti/SnO2-Sb anode prepared by sol-gel method. The effects of applied current density, initial pH, and inorganic anions on the degradation kinetics were systematically studied. Degradation efficiency more than 97% was performed in only 10 min at a current density of 0.2 mA cm-2. The corresponding degradation rate constant and the lowest electrical energy per order were calculated to be 0.36 min-1 and 6.5 mWh L-1, respectively. Extending the reaction duration to 5 h, 53.3% of TOC removal was observed. The results indicated that effective degradation of abacavir appeared in the penetration flux porous Ti/SnO2-Sb anode with a very low energy consumption. Furthermore, the electrochemical intermediate products and the reaction site during abacavir degradation were detected and recognized. The quantitative structure-activity relationship model revealed that the potential risks of abacavir to the aquatic organism, such as fish, greatly decreased after flowing through the penetration flux porous Ti/SnO2-Sb anode.