Terrestrial solar radiation driven photodecomposition of ciprofloxacin in clinical wastewater applying mesostructured iron(III) oxide

Cationic cylindrical polymer brushes based on polybutadiene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) were applied as structure-directing agent for mesostructuring Fe2O3 nanoparticles into nanotubes. After temperature-controlled template removal, the obtained non-woven catalysts were tested for the photodegradation of ciprofloxacin under terrestrial solar radiation. At a slightly basic pH value, as typically encountered in clinical wastewaters, the mesostructured Fe2O3 shows a 4.5 times faster degradation of ciprofloxacin than commercial Aeroxide (R) TiO2 P25. Even wide-bandgap ZnO, mesostructured in the same way, is 1.6 times slower. Moreover, the non-woven-like structure of the catalyst allows for easy recovery of the catalyst and operation in a continuous flow reactor.

Automated summary

By utilizing cationic cylindrical polymer brushes as structure-directing agents, Fe2O3 nanoparticles were successfully mesostructured into nanotubes, resulting in faster photodegradation of ciprofloxacin. The non-woven catalyst structure allows for easy recovery and operation in a continuous flow reactor.