Ceftriaxone photodegradation in wastewater using AgCuFe2O4/ZnO Almond-like heterogeneous nanocatalyst anchored on multi walled carbon nanotubes: Synthesis, characterization, mechanism study, and bioassay effluent

This study investigated the Ceftriaxone (CFT) degradation by photocatalytic process using AgCuFe₂O₄@MWCNT/ZnO as novel nanophotocatalyst. Firstly, the catalyst was prepared by microwave-assisted chemical coprecipitation method as a simple, fast, and green procedure with high efficiency. FESEM, EDS, Mapping, Line scan, FTIR, XRD, BET, DRS, PL, TGA, and VSM analyzes was carried out to identify the characteristics of the AgCuFe₂O₄@MWCNT/ZnO. The effect of key operational parameters for CFT photodegradation including solution pH, catalyst dosage, CFT concentration, and irradiation time was elaborated. Under optimal photocatalytic conditions (pH 7, 5 mg/L of CFT concentration, catalyst dosage of 0.24 g/L, and 60 minutes of irradiation) removal efficiency reached 90.1 % in synthetic samples and 75 % in real wastewater samples. ^•OH and ^•O₂^– are the dominant generated reactive oxygen species in the process. The kinetic study of the process revealed that the CFT degradation process followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic and Langmuir-Hinshelwood models with k_c = 0.412 mg/L.min and k_L-H =0.053 L/mg. Photocatalytic process indicated a powerful ability for mineralization of CFT (85.31 % of COD degradation). After four catalyst recovery cycles, the CFT degradation efficiency was achieved by 58.14 %, demonstrating the catalyst's recovery capability and chemical stability. The results of toxicity assessment using lettuce and basil seeds germination indicated a significant detoxification of CFT-containing effluent compared to the untreated CFT-containing wastewater. This study offers AgCuFe₂O₄@MWCNT/ZnO as effective, stable, and competitive catalyst for hastening and enhancing the photocatalytic process to mitigate environmentally related pollutants of high concern.