Effect of lateritic iron and hydrogen peroxide for degradation and mineralization of pyridine compound 2-aminopyridines

Pyridine is an important raw material in the pharmaceutical industry. Aminopyridines are key inter-mediates for the synthesis of important pharmaceutical products. 2-Aminopyridine is used in the pro-duction of antibacterial and several antihistamines drugs. Pyridine compounds have harmful effects on the liver, kidneys, immune systems, and reproductive functions, and have potential carcinoge-nicity. It is very essential to degrade 2-aminopyridines from an aqueous environment on a priority basis. Large-scale application of Fenton/photo-Fenton processes employing ferrous salts Fe2+ may prove costlier for the complete treatment of contaminated water/wastewater containing such recalci-trant compounds. 100% degradation of 2-aminopyridine (10 mg & BULL;L-1) by the Fenton process required 180 min out of which 58% degradation was achieved in the first 60 min of the reaction. The pho-to-Fenton oxidation process showed an improved rate of degradation. Parameters like pH, the dosage of hydrogen peroxide, and iron extracted from laterite soil are optimized for the effective degrada-tion and mineralization of 2-aminopyridine in water. Kinetic studies were also conducted using the optimum conditions for 2-aminopyridine degradation and, the pseudo-first-order kinetic equation has been fit up to the reaction time of 30 min. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis was also carried out to confirm the cleavage of the pharmaceutical compound 2-aminopyridine.