Photocatalytic removal of the antibiotic Ciprofloxacin from aqueous solutions using Fe-dopedTiO2@Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles

Background & Aim: Antibiotics are stable compounds with low biodegradability that are generally not removable by conventional wastewater treatment processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of Fe-doped TiO2@Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles in the presence of ultraviolet irradiation to photocatalytic removal of ciprofloxacin from aqueous solutions.  Methods: The sol-gel method was used for the synthesis of Fe-doped TiO2@Fe3O4 nanoparticles and the physical and chemical properties of the catalyst were investigated by SEM, EDX, XRD, VSM and DRS analyzes. Then, the effect of different parameters including pH (3-9), initial concentration of ciprofloxacin (25-75 mg/l) and catalyst dose (0.6 to 0.2 g/l) at different times in photocatalytic elimination of ciprofloxacin were studied. Results: The results showed that the highest removal efficiency 99.1 % and reaction rate constant of ciprofloxacin the presence of 15-watt UVC radiation was obtained at pH 9, initial concentration of 25 mg/l, catalyst dose of 0.6 g/l and contact time of 60 min, respectively. The stability of nanoparticles after 5 reuses had a good removal rate. Conclusion: Due to the appropriate removal efficiency of ciprofloxacin by the integrated system Fe-doped TiO2@Fe3O4 + UVC, the application of this process in water and wastewater treatment processes is recommended.