Photocatalytic degradation of paracetamol by semiconductor oxides under UV and sunlight illumination

Authors

DERMAN AKŞİT
GÜLİN SELDA POZAN SOYLU

DOI

10.55730/1300-0527.3486

Abstract

In this study, photocatalytic degradation of paracetamol (acetaminophen), an analgesic and antipyretic drug, was investigated in using semiconductors under UV-B and sunlight irradiation. Semiconductor materials, Bi₂O₃, ZnO, TiO₂, and ZrO₂, were prepared using simple sol-gel, coprecipitation, and microwave synthesis methods. These photocatalyts were characterized by various spectroscopic and other techniques. As a result of the reactions, 25 ppm paracetamol with Bi₂O₃ and ZnO photocatalyst, total degradation was achieved with UV-B irradiation in 90 min. The results of photocatalytic activities showed that the highest degradation rate was obtained with the Bi₂O₃ photocatalyst. In the light of all findings, the nanorod-shaped Bi₂O₃ semiconductor which has a low band gap energy and high quantum efficiency exhibited significant effect on the activity despite of its low surface area.

Keywords

Photocatalytic degradation, paracetamol, semiconductor, UV-B and sunlight irradiation

First Page

1866

Last Page

1874

Recommended Citation

AKŞİT, DERMAN and SOYLU, GÜLİN SELDA POZAN (2022) "Photocatalytic degradation of paracetamol by semiconductor oxides under UV and sunlight illumination," Turkish Journal of Chemistry: Vol. 46: No. 6, Article 9. https://doi.org/10.55730/1300-0527.3486
Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/chem/vol46/iss6/9