Revealing efficacy of AgCuFe2O4@GO/MnO2 in 3D electrochemical oxidation for ceftriaxone degradation in aqueous media: Optimization and mechanisms

Ceftriaxone (CEF), a broad-spectrum antibiotic with a long half-life, is extensively used for the curative purposes of many bacterial infections. Nevertheless, given its strong resistance and the inefficiency of traditional techniques in breaking it down and eliminating it, this study assessed the use of a synthesized AgCuFe₂O₄@GO/MnO₂ nanoparticle electrode (NPE) in a three-dimensional electrochemical oxidation reaction (3DER) to remove CEF. The AgCuFe₂O₄@GO/MnO₂ NPE was fabricated by a co-precipitation process aided by a microwave. The physical and chemical structure of the nanocomposite was determined and verified using a range of analytical techniques, such as FESEM, XRD, EDS-mapping, FTIR, BET, VSM, and TGA. These investigations indicated that the NPE had a large specific surface area, a maintained crystal structure, strong magnetic characteristics, and a quasi-spherical morphology. A 3DER with optimal parameters (pH 5, initial CEF concentration 20 mg/L, NPE dose 0.7 g/L, electrode distance 3 cm, 0.12 mM persulfate electrolyte, and 8.5 mA/cm² current density for 45 minutes) removed 86.8 % of CEF in synthetic samples and 71.3 % in real wastewater samples, with a mineralization rate of 53.4 %, also had 253.2 kWh/g energy consumption. The 3DER matched the pseudo-first-order kinetic and the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model (R² > 0.9), with K_C and K_L-H values of 0.954 mg/L.min and 0.032 L/mg. The removal effectiveness of 64.9 % was achieved after five cycles of recovering and regenerating the NPE. The AgCuFe₂O₄@GO/MnO₂ NPE is beneficial for treating a wide range of industrial and hospital wastewaters due to its magnetic characteristics, chemical stability, reusability, and remarkable efficiency.