Degradation of pharmaceutical drug paracetamol via UV irradiation using Fe-TiO2 composite photocatalyst: statistical analysis and parametric optimization

Puri, Sonali; Thakur, Ina; Verma, Anoop; Barman, Sanghamitra

Degradation of pharmaceutical drug paracetamol via UV irradiation using Fe-TiO2 composite photocatalyst: statistical analysis and parametric optimization

2021

Puri, Sonali | Thakur, Ina | Verma, Anoop | Barman, Sanghamitra

In the present investigation, a novel Fe-TiO₂ composite was fabricated by mixing fly ash (FA), foundry sand (FS), and bentonite clay for the degradation of paracetamol (PCM). This composite acts as a surface for immobilizing the TiO₂ catalyst (using the dip-coating method) besides facilitating the leaching of iron (FA and FS) in acidic conditions. Leached iron (in the form of Fe(II), Fe(III), and total iron) promotes the photo-Fenton (with the addition of H₂O₂ in the system) while the surface-active TiO₂ layer leads to photocatalysis, thus leading to in situ dual process combining photocatalysis and photo-Fenton in one system. This dual process led to a synergy of 75% in comparison to the photocatalysis and photo-Fenton process owing to the large production of •OH. Various parameters such as H₂O₂ dose (525 mg l⁻¹), number of beads (80), degradation time (215 min), and volume (200 ml) were optimized, and 96.6% of reduction in PCM was observed. Durability study of catalyst showed a minor reduction in the activity of the catalyst after 30 cycles. The TiO₂ catalyst was still intact as a film, and iron leaching was also occurring from the beads even after recycling, thus confirming their long-term durability in terms of dual effect. The stability and durability of the composite were confirmed by characteristic analysis such as SEM/EDS. Mineralization of PCM was concluded through the estimation of degradation by-products using GC-MS analysis followed by estimation of nitrate and nitrite ions.

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