ENHANCED PHOTO-CATALYTICAL DEGRADATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL POLLUTANTS USING GREEN SYNTHESISED NANOPARTICLES

The green synthesis approach is eco-friendly and sustainable. This study aims to efficiently remove pharmaceutical pollutants Amoxicillin trihydrate (AMO) using the synthesised Mn3O4/ZnO/Co3O4 (MZC) nano-composite under light irradiation. The nano-composite was characterised using X-Ray diffraction, Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, and Energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The characterisation confirmed the successful fabrication and unique structural properties of the nano-composite. The influence of various experimental factors, including the light source, catalyst dosage, reaction time, pH of pharmaceutical pollutant, and initial concentration, were systematically investigated. A photo-catalytic experiment was conducted with a 100 mL solution of 10 ppm Amoxicillin trihydrate (which serve as pollutants) and 0. 1g of MZC nano-composite. The aqueous solution was mixed with the photocatalyst and stirred for 30 minutes under UV irradiation in a dark environment. The synthesised MZC photo-catalyst demonstrated excellent degradation activity for 10 parts per million (ppm) Amoxicillin with 0.1 g catalyst at pH 3, 5, 7 and 9 at 25°C, thus achieving degradation percentages of 40.0% after 180 minutes of UV irradiation at pH 9. The experimental results further confirmed the dependency of the synthesised nano-composite on pH, time, pollutant, and catalyst dosage. The prepared photo-catalysts exhibited exemplary performance and hold potential for applications in wastewater treatment and various other ecological applications