Degradation of 17α-methyltestosterone by hydroxyapatite catalyst

Abstract Fish farming is becoming a highly profitable economic activity and the rearing of fingerlings involves the practice of sex reversal for the production of species (male) using the hormone 17α-methyltestosterone (MT). This study analyzed the methodology for degradation of the hormone through solar and ultraviolet radiation using hydroxyapatite (HAP) as heterogeneous catalyst, synthesized by two different methods, with and without doping with nickel and copper. The results showed that MT hormone is degraded by ultraviolet or solar radiation, and accelerated in the presence of the HAP catalyst. In the presence of Fe (III) in the medium, the degradation rate of the hormone decreases. The method of HAP synthesis influences the degradation efficiency.