Research progress and development trends in heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts for degradation of antibiotics in wastewater

China is one of the major antibiotic producing and consuming countries in the world and demand for and output of antibiotics are increasing year by year. The wastewater produced during the production of antibiotics is of complex composition, high chemical oxygen demand, high concentrations of toxic and harmful substances and strong resistance to biodegradation. This is problematic for the process of pharmaceutical wastewater treatment. Additionally, due to the extensive use of antibiotics, a variety of antibiotics are constantly released into the environment, with adverse effects on aquatic organisms. Although antibiotic concentrations in wastewater are low, the accumulation of low-dose, long-duration antibiotics can lead to the development of drug-resistant strains that threaten human health and the entire ecosystem. Therefore, how to effectively remove antibiotic residues in water is an important challenge toward ensuring the safety of water quality, the environment, and ecology. Advanced oxidation technology (AOP), which has an extremely high oxidation potential, can generate hydroxyl radicals in the reaction process, and can degrade organic compounds rapidly without secondary pollution. Therefore, it exhibits clear advantages in the treatment of antibiotics in water. As a kind of AOP, homogeneous Fenton oxidation technology (Fe²⁺/H₂O₂ system) has attracted considerable attention owing to its rapid reaction, simplicity, and high degradation efficiency. Heterogeneous Fenton-like oxidation technology using an iron-based solid catalyst instead of Fe²⁺ ions can effectively reduce the formation of iron-containing sludge and broaden the pH reaction range to overcome the shortcomings of Homogeneous Fenton. Moreover, recycling of the catalyst has been developed rapidly in recent years and has achieved ideal results when applied to the degradation of antibiotics. In this paper, research progress in heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts for degradation of antibiotics was reviewed. Based on the core issues of heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts, the methods, measures, and new viewpoints for improving catalytic performance were expounded upon. Aiming at the problems of heterogeneous Fenton-like technology in degrading antibiotics, future development directions were presented.