Synergetic effect of Fe2O3 and Na2WO4 piezo catalyst to remove pharmaceuticals waste in water

Abstract

High efficiency and stability are two crucial factors in piezocatalysis reactions. In this research, the efficiency of Fe₂O₃ piezo catalysts significantly increased by coupling it with Na₂WO₄. Results indicate that Fe₂O₃ and Na₂WO₄ have a synergetic effect on the degradation of Amoxicillin (AMX), with Fe₂O₃/Na₂WO₄ degrading 88 % of AMX in the same conditions that pure Fe₂O₃ and Na₂WO₄ degrade only 42 % and 20.6 %, respectively. The degradation efficiency of Fe₂O₃ was improved by 114 % when it was coupled with Na₂WO₄. Fe₂O₃/Na₂WO₄ piezo catalyst was successfully used in 8 cycles while it keeps almost 85 % of its efficiency which indicates the stability of prepared piezo catalysts. Studying the mechanism of degradation by Fe₂O₃/Na₂WO₄ revealed that superoxide free radicals have a critical function in the decomposition of AMX. The kinetic study also indicates that at lower temperatures, the reaction follows a first-order reaction.