Photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin in water at nano-ZnO prepared by pulse alternating current electrochemical synthesis

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Anna Ulyankina - , Platov South-Russian State Polytechnic University (Author)
  • Tatiana Molodtsova - , Platov South-Russian State Polytechnic University (Author)
  • Mikhail Gorshenkov - , National University of Science and Technology "MISiS" (Author)
  • Igor Leontyev - , Southern Federal University (Author)
  • Denis Zhigunov - , Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Author)
  • Elizaveta Konstantinova - , Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute (Author)
  • Tatiana Lastovina - , Russian Academy of Sciences (Author)
  • Jakub Tolasz - , Czech Academy of Sciences (Author)
  • Jiří Henych - , Czech Academy of Sciences (Author)
  • Nadia Licciardello - , Chair of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Gianaurelio Cuniberti - , Chair of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Nina Smirnova - , Platov South-Russian State Polytechnic University (Author)

Abstract

Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a broad spectrum synthetic antibiotic of the fluoroquinolone group frequently detected in hospital wastewater, sewage treatment plant effluent, and surface water. The current study investigates the CIP photocatalytic degradation at nano-ZnO synthesized by a novel large-scale and environmentally friendly electrochemical method using pulse alternating current. This method implies the use of LiCl, KCl, NaCl and Na2SO4 as the electrolytes without adding any organic additives or post annealing. The effect of electrolytic media on the morphological, structural, optical and electronic properties of the resulting nano-ZnO was evaluated. The highest CIP removal efficiency reached 93.6 % in 30 min and the TOC removal efficiency reached 51.0 % in 60 min under optimal conditions (5 mg L−1 initial CIP concentration, pH 6.5, catalyst dosage 0.5 g L−1, UV light intensity 2.0 mW cm−2) in the presence of ZnO nanoparticles prepared in LiCl. The efficiency values are higher than those of commercial ZnO due to the increased surface area and the improved separation of charge carriers. Reactive species study confirmed the main role of h+ in the photodegradation process. The photocatalytic performance of the synthesized ZnO samples suggests that these materials can be used for water treatment in environmental applications.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number101809
JournalJournal of water process engineering
Volume40
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2021
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • Ciprofloxacin, Clinical wastewater, Defects, Electrochemical synthesis, Electrolytes, Morphology, Nanoparticles, Photocatalytic degradation, Pulse alternating current, ZnO