Photocatalytic removal of the erythromycin antibiotic using Fe-doped TiO2@Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles: investigation of effective parameters, process kinetics and degradation end products

• Published in: Desalination and water treatment 2022-06, Vol.262, p.323-337
• Main Authors: Pishrafti, Hassan, Kamani, Hossein, Mansouri, Nabiollah, Hassani, Amir Hessam, Ahmadpanahi, Homayon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Erythromycin antibiotic; Fe-doped TiO2@Fe3O4; Photocatalytic process; Reaction products Corresponding author
• ISSN: 1944-3986
• DOI: 10.5004/dwt.2022.28542

Antibiotics are resistant compounds with low biodegradability and cannot be effectively eliminated by conventional wastewater treatment methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the photocatalytic removal of erythromycin using magnetic nanoparticles (Fe-doped TiO2@Fe3O4) from aqueous solutions. Fe-doped TiO2@Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by sol–gel method, and scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, value-stream mapping, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analyses were used to determine the properties of the synthesized nanoparticles. Effect of various variables including pH (3–9), initial concentration of erythromycin (25–75 mg/L), and concentration of nanoparticles (200– 600mg/L) at different times (15–60 min) was examined in the photocatalytic removal of erythromycin. The results of this study showed that the highest removal efficiency of erythromycin and the highest reaction rate constant were obtained using a fixed beam with a UVC lamp 15 W at pH = 5, the initial concentration of 25 mg/L, and the dose of nanoparticles 600 mg/L at the reaction time of 60 min. Due to the high removal efficiency of erythromycin by Fe-doped TiO2@Fe3O4 process in the presence of UVC light and stability of nanoparticles after 5 reuse, the application of this process in water and wastewater treatment processes is recommended.