Synthesis of nano-crystallite β-Bi2O3 as a photocatalyst through solid-state method for a sturdy treatment of pharmaceutical waste

This study highlights the photocatalytic activity of β-Bi 2 O 3 , particularly its role in degrading pharmaceutical pollutants harmful to the environment. Several approaches were implemented to characterize the β-Bi 2 O 3 catalyst involving an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrophotometer, Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The computed crystallite size range from the XRD data was 10-66 nm; it was obtained by utilizing several models along with the Scherrer equations. The absorption bands were obtained through an FTIR Spectrophotometer, which also assured the formation of a Bi-O-Bi bond. The TGA analyzer revealed two-stage weight reductions (1.76 % and 7 %) up to 800 °C. After conducting FESEM analysis, it was found that the particles of β-Bi 2 O 3 were in nanosheet shape with sharp edges. The photocatalytic efficacy was scrutinized by examining the interaction between the catalyst and the antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) depending on several parameters, in which the maximum degradation percentage was 91 % in the case of 0.05 g catalyst at 180 min under a halogen lamp. The photodegradation kinetics was observed utilizing the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model equation to compute the photocatalytic reaction rate. So, this research confirmed that β-Bi 2 O 3 is an effective catalyst for treating antibiotic solution (ciprofloxacin) because leftover antibiotics are an alarming issue for the natural world. • β-Bi 2 O 3 was synthesized through the solid-state method • Comprehensive characterization was carried out with XRD, FTIR, TGA, and FESEM • β-Bi 2 O 3 was an effective catalyst that degraded ciprofloxacin effectively • Photocatalysis did not cause any changes in the catalyst