ZnFe2O4/Cr2O3/MXene nanocomposite photocatalyst stimulates tetracycline antibiotic degradation under visible light irradiation: Toxicity evaluation and degradation mechanism

• Published in: Separation and purification technology Vol. 354; p. 128866
• Main Authors: Aziz, Muhammad Hammad, Latif, Misbah, Hassan, Rizwan Ul, Asif, Muhammad, Wahab, Rizwan, Huang, Qing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 19-02-2025
• Subjects: Degradation pathways; Tetracycline (TC-HCl); Ti3C2 (MXene); Toxicity Evaluation; XPS, electron Spin resonance (ESR); XPS, electron Spin resonance (ESR); Ti3C2 (MXene); Toxicity Evaluation; Degradation pathways; Tetracycline (TC-HCl)
• ISSN: 1383-5866; 1873-3794
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2024.128866

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•Photocatalytic breakdown of tetracycline (TC-HCl) under visible light stimulated viaZnFe2O4/Cr2O3/MXene NC.•Z-scheme mechanism of ZnFe2O4/Cr2O3/MXene NC was proposed.•Hazardous intermediates were addressed using the Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (TEST) for in-silico toxicity prediction.•Photocatalytic reduction of tetracyclineand intermediate toxicity was achieved with excellent efficacy.
Antibiotics containing tetracycline (TC-HCl) pose a risk to both human and natural ecosystems. MXene-based nanostructures achieve rapid photodegradation of antibiotics due to their distinctive structural and physicochemical properties. This study used hydrothermal method to synthesizethe ZnFe2O4/Cr2O3/MXene nanocomposite (NC). MXene (Ti3C2) was employed as a co-catalyst with a distinct layered structure. After 60 min of exposure to visible light, the TC-HCl photodegradation efficiency reached 94.2 %. In addition, the recyclability test confirmed that the ZnFe2O4/Cr2O3/MXene NC remains stable during the photodegradation of tetracycline. Following four cycles, a degradation efficiency of up to 86 % is maintained. The antibiotic was found to degrade by the action of free radicals ·O2- and •OH, which prompted the proposal of plausible degradation mechanisms. The ESR analysis verifies the presence of DMPO-·O2- and DMPO-•OH, and it also shows that the signals were stronger as the visible irradiation period stretched to 15 min. In addition, the breakdown routes of TC photodegradation were identified using LC-MS spectrometry. The kinetics of photodegradation were studied, and the findings showed that the reaction was rapid, with a K value of 0.0983 min−1. Thus, the ZnFe2O4/Cr2O3/MXene nanocomposite is a promising candidate for toxicity testing and the treatment of wastewater owing to its high degrading efficiency and durability.