Ultraviolet Photodegradation of Ciprofloxacin Using Zinc Oxide and Iron-Doped Zinc Oxide (Fe-ZnO) Nanoparticles (NPs): Kinetic and Isotherm Measurements

Abstract

This article describes the auto-combustion sol-gel synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO), 0.1% iron-doped zinc oxide (0.1% Fe-ZnO), and 0.2% iron-doped zinc xide (0.2% Fe-ZnO) NPs with the goal of determining their suitability as a photocatalyst for the degradation of a hazardous antibiotic drug (ciprofloxacin). The functional group, surface morphology, and crystallinity of ZnO, 0.1% Fe-ZnO, and 0.2% Fe-ZnO NPs were studied using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Various parameters, such as solution pH, catalyst dosage, light exposure period, and initial drug concentration, were optimized for quantitative degradation. The photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin using ZnO, 0.1% Fe-ZnO, and 0.2% Fe-ZnO follows pseudo-first-order kinetics. The proposed method has been applied to commercial formulations such as Ciprofloxacinro, Ciprofloxacinro XR, and Ciprofloxacinro ProQuin XR with satisfactory results.