Removal of Tetracycline from Aqueous Environments Using CTF-P Photocatalyst with Organic-Covalent Structure under Visible Light

Tetracycline is a common commercial antibiotic that is used in large quantities against bacteria and a wide range of microorganisms. The presence of TC in pharmaceutical industries and hospital wastewater can cause an unpleasant odor, skin disorders, and microbial resistance in pathogenic agents, and can lead to the death of effective microorganisms responsible for purifying wastewater. Therefore, its removal before entering into the environment is of great importance. Given the importance of the issue, this study evaluates the efficiency of TC removal from aqueous environments using a photocatalyst with an organic-covalent structure under visible light. In this study, a photocatalyst with an organic-covalent structure (CTF-P) was synthesized by reflux method and its efficiency was investigated. To identify the synthetic photocatalyst characterization, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, elemental mapping analysis (EDX-Mapping), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis (BET) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy were employed. Moreover, the effects of pH variables (4-9), photocatalyst concentration (10-40 mg) and contact time ((-30)-180 min) on the removal process were evaluated. Based on the results obtained, maximum removal efficiency was achieved at a 90 min contact time, 30 mg of photocatalyst content, and pH=7. The study of scavengers showed that the oxidants (i.e. , e- and ) play an important role in the degradation process of TC from wastewater. As shown, CTF-P photocatalyst with organic-covalent structure could be used as an effective material for the removal of TC from industrial wastewater under visible light.