The excessive and improper use of antibiotics without medical supervision has persisted for decades, leading to severe contamination of aquatic ecosystems. Numerous approaches have been proposed to eliminate these pollutants from water sources. Among all available techniques, photocatalysis has emerged as a cutting-edge method that has recently garnered significant interest from researchers. In this study, a recyclable WO₃/NiFe₂O₄/g-C₃N₄ (WNC) composite was designed to degrade the antibiotic metronidazole (MTZ) in aqueous solution. The results demonstrated that the WNC composite achieved a 96% removal efficiency for MTZ (10 mg/L) within 60 minutes under illumination from a 30W LED light source. The photocatalytic activity of WNC was significantly enhanced compared to its precursors, facilitating effective charge separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole (e⁻/h⁺) pairs. Furthermore, this ternary composite, composed of three semiconductors with band gaps ranging from narrow to wide, was well-suited for full-spectrum light absorption, thereby enhancing its photocatalytic performance. Characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, confirmed the successful formation of the composite structure. This study offers a promising strategy for the degradation of antibiotics as well as other hazardous organic pollutants, contributing to environmental remediation.
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The excessive and improper use of antibiotics without medical supervision has persisted for decades, leading to severe contamination of aquatic ecosystems. Numerous approaches have been proposed to eliminate these pollutants from water sources. Among all available techniques, photocatalysis has emerged as a cutting-edge method that has recently garnered significant interest from researchers. In this study, a recyclable WO₃/NiFe₂O₄/g-C₃N₄ (WNC) composite was designed to degrade the antibiotic metronidazole (MTZ) in aqueous solution. The results demonstrated that the WNC composite achieved a 96% removal efficiency for MTZ (10 mg/L) within 60 minutes under illumination from a 30W LED light source. The photocatalytic activity of WNC was significantly enhanced compared to its precursors, facilitating effective charge separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole (e⁻/h⁺) pairs. Furthermore, this ternary composite, composed of three semiconductors with band gaps ranging from narrow to wide, was well-suited for full-spectrum light absorption, thereby enhancing its photocatalytic performance. Characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, confirmed the successful formation of the composite structure. This study offers a promising strategy for the degradation of antibiotics as well as other hazardous organic pollutants, contributing to environmental remediation.
