Preparation of α-Fe2O3 Nano-photocatalyst supported on Cd(II)-Terephthalic MOF for photocatalytic removal of Cefazolin aqueous solution

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the photocatalytic decomposition of the antibiotic Cefazolin (CFZ) from aqueous solutions using a new effective catalyst. This catalyst was made of α-Fe2O3-supported nanoparticles on a metal-organic framework (MOF). The synthesis of Nano α-Fe2O3 photocatalyst was performed by the reflux condensation method. The MOF was synthesized using Cadmium nitrate and Terephthalic acid and Nano α-Fe2O3 supported on MOF using a solid-state distribution (SSD) method. FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDX, N2 adsorption-desorption and TGA technique were used for the identification of the catalyst. Analysis of these results revealed that α-Fe2O3 circular nanoparticles bonded together and occupy a large area on the MOF crystal surfaces. The BET surface area and the pore diameter of ​​the catalyst obtained were 479 m2g-1 and 3.86 nm respectively. UV/H2O2 photocatalytic processes were applied for the decomposition of CFZ from aqueous solutions. This process was optimized and modeled using the full factorial method. Initial concentrations of CFZ, pH, α-Fe2O3/MOF amounts and initial concentration of H2O2 were the variables for the determination of optimal conditions and mathematical models. The highest degradation percentage of CFZ in the optimum condition (CFZ=30 ppm, pH=8, H2O2=5ppm, catalyst=150mg.l-1) was 85.88%. This photocatalyst reaction has pseudo-first-order kinetic with a constant rate of 0.0752 min-1 and it also matched the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model.