Metronidazole and Cephalexin degradation by using of Urea/TiO2/ZnFe2O4/Clinoptiloite catalyst under visible-light irradiation and ozone injection

Publication date: Available online 22 February 2020Source: Journal of Molecular LiquidsAuthor(s): Maryam Aram, Mehrdad Farhadian, Ali Reza Solaimany Nazar, Shaharam Tangestaninejad, Parisa Eskandari, Byong-Hun JeonAbstractCephalexin (CEX) and metronidazole (MNZ) degradation were photodegraded using the synthesized Urea/TiO2/ZnFe2O4/Zeolite catalyst under visible light irradiation. Diffuse reflectance ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS) and photoluminescence (PL) analysis approved the modification of TiO2 by Urea and ZnFe2O4 compounds increased the absorption edge of catalyst to 590 nm and decreased the electron−hole recombination rate. The results showed the degradation efficiencies of ozonation process for the metronidazole and cephalexin removal were obtained 36% and 39%, respectively. The photocatalyst activity of Urea/TiO2/ZnFe2O4/Clinoptiloite under visible light irradiation was determined 70% for metronidazole and 74% for cephalexin degradation. Furthermore, the combination of ozonation process and photocatalyst degradation under visible light irradiation showed high potential for the antibiotics degradation (94% for metronidazole and 95% for cephalexin) due to the increase in the generation of reactive species and synergistic effect between catalysis and ozonation processes. The response surface methodology (RSM) results revealed the removal efficiency of both pollutants were highly dependent on pH, irradiation time, catalyst concentration and initial...
Source: Journal of Molecular Liquids - Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research