Separation and Purification Technology, Vol.212, 110-118, 2019
Photocatalytic degradation of Ibuprofen, Naproxen, and Cetirizine using PAN-MWCNT nanofibers crosslinked TiO2-NH2 nanoparticles under visible light irradiation
In this work the photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals (Ibuprofen, Cetirizine, and Naproxen) was evaluated using surface modified TiO2 nanoparticles immobilized on polyacrylonitrile/multiwall carbon nanotubes composite nanofibers. The photocatalytic degradation was studied under visible light (0.1 W/cm(2)) irradiation. Comparatively, the photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals using PAN-CNT/TiO2-NH2 composite nanofibers was much more efficient than with PAN/TiO2-NH2 composite nanofibers under visible light irradiation. The results obtained showed that the photocatalytic efficiency of the studied pharmaceuticals is pH dependent in which more than 99% degradation was obtained at pH 2. Complete degradation of IBP, CTZ, and NPX was achieved within 200, 50, and 90 min, respectively under visible light.