DoE ASSISTED UV-VISIBLE SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD DEVELOPMENT FOR CRITICAL FACTOR ESTIMATION INVOLVED IN NORFLOXACIN DEGRADATION

Degradation studies are essential to determine the inference of degradation routes and stability of pharmaceuticals at different stress conditions. Norfloxacin is an extensively used antibiotics; hence, it is also commonly found in wastewater effluent. For proper risk assessment of norfloxacin and for better understanding of the factors involved in its environmental fate, different factors were studied which were involved in the degradation of norfloxacin.  Effect on degradation was studied for three factors, i.e., time (24 h, 48 h, and 72 h), temperature (30°, 45°, and 70°), and concentration of oxidant (1% H₂O₂, 3% H₂O_2, and 5% H₂O₂) at three different levels using Design of experiment (DoE) approach. Absorbance was selected as a response that would signify the extent of degradation of the drug. It was observed that all three factors were involved in degradation but when the factors are studied one at a time, the effect of temperature and concentration of oxidant was more significant and time has a very small effect on the degradation of norfloxacin. When multiple factors were studied at one time, the interaction between the factors is observed, which are represented by 2D plots and 3D contour plots.