Titanium dioxide doped hydroxyapatite incorporated photocatalytic membranes for the degradation of chloramphenicol antibiotic in water

Abstract

AbstractBACKGROUNDIn the recent years, photocatalytic membrane process has gained interest in wastewater treatment applications. In this study, the ability of advanced oxidation technology coupled membrane process was evaluated during chloramphenicol (CAP) filtration. Titanium dioxide doped hydroxyapatite (TiO2‐HAP) based photocatalytic membrane for chloramphenicol (CAP) degradation was investigated. The TiO2‐HAP photocatalyst was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal technique and characterized by the transmission electron microscope, X‐ray diffraction, and FTIR spectroscopy. Varying concentrations of TiO2‐HAP photocatalyst incorporated polysulfone (PSf) membranes were fabricated to enhance the photocatalytic activity and antifouling propensity. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2‐HAP incorporated PSf membranes was evaluated by a low‐pressure cross‐flow lab‐scale photocatalytic membrane reactor (PMR) for degradation of chloramphenicol in water. These results were compared with pristine PSf membrane.RESULTSThe degradation of chloramphenicol was measured by liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The photocatalytic degradation experiments revealed that the highest degradation of 61.59% was observed for the PSf/4 wt% TiO2‐HAP nanocomposite membrane.CONCLUSIONThis study highlights the advantages of applying the photocatalytic TiO2‐HAP incorporated PSf composite membranes for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment applications. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry