Photocatalytic degradation of an antibiotic in aqueous solution using ZnO.
4 affiliations
- 1Laboratory of Engineering of Reaction, Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Process Engineering, University of Science and Technology Haouari Boumediene Algiers Algeria [email protected].
- 2Department of Process Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Djilali Bounaama University of Khemis-Miliana Theniat El-Had Road, Khemis-Miliana Ain-Defla Algeria.
- 3Department of Radiation Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Science and Technology Haouari Boumediene Algiers Algeria.
- 4Laboratory of Theoretical Physics and Radiation-Matter Interactions (LPTHIRM), University of Blida 1 Saad Dahleb Blida Algeria.
Abstract
This study investigates the photocatalytic degradation of the antibiotic flumequine in aqueous solution using ZnO synthesized via a simple and environmentally friendly route. The synthesized photocatalyst exhibited a hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure with an average crystallite size of 34.4 nm, a specific surface area of 6 m² g⁻¹, and an optical band gap of 3.19 eV. Batch photocatalytic experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of catalyst dosage (0.5-2.0 g L⁻¹), initial flumequine concentration (5-25 mg L⁻¹), and solution pH (3-10). The highest degradation efficiency (99%) was achieved at pH ≈ 6.2 using an initial flumequine concentration of 10 mg L⁻¹ and a ZnO dosage of 1.5 g L⁻¹. The degradation kinetics followed an apparent pseudo-first-order model, with the rate constant decreasing from 0.013 to 0.0013 min⁻¹ as the initial flumequine concentration increased from 5 to 25 mg L⁻¹. The concentration-dependent kinetic behavior was further described using the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model, yielding an intrinsic surface reaction rate constant of 0.1005 mg L⁻¹ min⁻¹ and a Langmuir adsorption constant of 0.5814 L mg⁻¹. Total organic carbon analysis revealed a maximum mineralization efficiency of 39.4%, indicating the formation of intermediate products during photocatalytic degradation. Reusability experiments demonstrated that ZnO retained satisfactory photocatalytic activity after five successive cycles. These findings demonstrate that pristine ZnO is an efficient and stable photocatalyst for the removal of flumequine from aqueous media and highlight its potential for wastewater treatment applications.
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BibTeX
@article{tebani2026photocatalytic,
title = {{Photocatalytic degradation of an antibiotic in aqueous solution using ZnO.}},
author = {Samira Tebani and Lila Kerrai and Noreddine Boudechiche and Bahia Si Lakhal and Noureddine Nasrallah},
journal = {RSC advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d6ra06102h},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899154},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Photocatalytic degradation of an antibiotic in aqueous solution using ZnO.
AU - Samira Tebani
AU - Lila Kerrai
AU - Noreddine Boudechiche
AU - Bahia Si Lakhal
AU - Noureddine Nasrallah
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - RSC advances
DO - 10.1039/d6ra06102h
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899154
AB - This study investigates the photocatalytic degradation of the antibiotic flumequine in aqueous solution using ZnO synthesized via a simple and environmentally friendly route. The synthesized photocatalyst exhibited a hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure with an average crystallite size of 34.4 nm, a specific surface area of 6 m² g⁻¹, and an optical band gap of 3.19 eV. Batch photocatalytic experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of catalyst dosage (0.5-2.0 g L⁻¹), initial flumequine concentration (5-25 mg L⁻¹), and solution pH (3-10). The highest degradation efficiency (99%) was achieved at pH ≈ 6.2 using an initial flumequine concentration of 10 mg L⁻¹ and a ZnO dosage of 1.5 g L⁻¹. The degradation kinetics followed an apparent pseudo-first-order model, with the rate constant decreasing from 0.013 to 0.0013 min⁻¹ as the initial flumequine concentration increased from 5 to 25 mg L⁻¹. The concentration-dependent kinetic behavior was further described using the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model, yielding an intrinsic surface reaction rate constant of 0.1005 mg L⁻¹ min⁻¹ and a Langmuir adsorption constant of 0.5814 L mg⁻¹. Total organic carbon analysis revealed a maximum mineralization efficiency of 39.4%, indicating the formation of intermediate products during photocatalytic degradation. Reusability experiments demonstrated that ZnO retained satisfactory photocatalytic activity after five successive cycles. These findings demonstrate that pristine ZnO is an efficient and stable photocatalyst for the removal of flumequine from aqueous media and highlight its potential for wastewater treatment applications.
SN - 2046-2069
ER -