Photocatalytic application of bacterial-derived biopolymer in removing pharmaceutical contaminants from water

Abstract

The inadequate existence of practical techniques for water purification poses a prominent and widespread global environmental challenge. This study aims to clarify the efficacy of xanthan application in the photocatalytic removal of nadolol, pindolol, and cefoperazone from water reservoirs. Under the influence of a simulated solar light source, xanthan exhibited significant degradation rates for pindolol (77%) and cefoperazone (91%). In contrast, nadolol's degradation efficiency was notably lower (10%). These findings suggest that the molecular structure can substantially influence the efficiency of the purification process. Computational analyses were conducted to gain a more profound understanding of the implications of molecular structure.