Photocatalytic removal of ciprofloxacin antibiotic from aqueous medium by applying AgI/Ag2O nanocomposite: Activity test, reaction kinetics, and catalyst reusability

This study examined the removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP), which is a very widely used antibiotic, from an aqueous medium by applying AgI/Ag2O photocatalyst under visible light radiation.

AgI/Ag2O was synthesized conveniently by applying a two-stage precipitation method. The synthesized compound was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), FE- field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Different parameters including initial pH of the solution, initial CIP concentration, reaction kinetics, and catalyst reusability were investigated.

Concurrent use of AgI and Ag2O caused improved photocatalytic properties in the presence of UV light. The pH and initial concentration of CIP affected the process efficiency; 95% efficiency was achieved within 100 min at pH 9. Furthermore, the process efficiency was still maintained over 90% after four consecutive cycles.

The photocatalytic degradation process using AgI/Ag2O nanocomposite under visible light radiation is a suitable method for removing CIP from aqueous media due to its high efficiency and stability.