Electrochemical detection of tetracycline as emergent pollutant in water using CoAl2O4 modified carbon nanofiber-epoxy composite electrode

The presence of antibiotics in the environment and especially in water has gained increasing attention. The antibiotics are considered the emergent pollutants in water and the development of their quantitative determination methods has been get growing attention. Tetracycline antibiotics as one kind of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are widely distributed environmental pollutants. They are used extensively in veterinary and aquaculture medicine, and excreted to environment with a combination of intact and metabolized pharmaceuticals. The abuse of tetracycline or other antibiotics in aquaculture and farming industry has certain drawbacks, such as antibiotic residues in water and food or provoking allergic symptoms in human. Thus, the identification and detection of these pollutants in environment is important.