Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of Antibiotics in Wastewater by Advanced Oxidation Technology: Optimization using the Response Surface Methodology
Received: 29 December 2024 | Revised: 21 January 2025 and 11 February 2025 | Accepted: 15 February 2025 | Online: 3 April 2025
Corresponding author: Hebatallah Mohammed Khudhair
Abstract
Amoxicillin, a widely used antibiotic, is increasingly recognized as an environmental threat due to its persistence in aquatic ecosystems and potential risks to human health. This study investigated the removal of amoxicillin from simulated pharmaceutical wastewater using a solar-powered photocatalytic process with titanium dioxide (TiO₂) in a tube-shaped reactor. The degradation efficiency was assessed by monitoring the reduction in amoxicillin concentration under varying experimental conditions. A Box–Behnken Design (BBD) was applied to evaluate the effects of key parameters, including: initial amoxicillin concentration (10-100 mg/L), TiO2 dosage (50, 75, and 100 mg/L), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration (200-600 mg/L), and pH levels (3, 5, and 7). The results revealed an optimal degradation efficiency of 90.0% under the following conditions: pH=5, 10 mg/L of amoxicillin concentration, 75 mg/L of TiO2 dosage, and 400 mg/L of H2O2 with a 150-minute exposure to solar irradiation. Statistical analysis using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) yielded high model accuracy, with R² = 96.59%, adjusted R² = 93.18%, and predicted R² = 81.7%, indicating strong agreement between experimental data and model predictions. The findings confirm the effectiveness of solar-driven photocatalysis in degrading amoxicillin, highlighting its potential as a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable approach for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.
Keywords:
amoxicillin, wastewater, solar photocatalyst, titanium dioxide, advanced oxidationDownloads
References
A. Chauhan, D. Sillu, and S. Agnihotri, ''Removal of Pharmaceutical Contaminants in Wastewater Using Nanomaterials: A Comprehensive Review,'' Current Drug Metabolism, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 483–505, Jul. 2019.
F. Sulaiman and A. Alwared, ''Ability of Response Surface Methodology to Optimize Photocatalytic Degradation of Amoxicillin from Aqueous Solutions Using Immobilized TiO2/Sand,'' Journal of Ecological Engineering, vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 293–304, May 2022.
H. A. Shamkhi, M. J. Abdulhasan, S. A. Raheem, H. A. M. Al-Zubaidi, and A. S. K. Janabi, ''Optimization of heavy metals removal from wastewater by magnetic nano-zeolite using response surface methodology,'' Desalination and Water Treatment, vol. 306, pp. 63–74, Sep. 2023.
A. Q. Saeed, H. M. Khudhair, A. S. H. Alhamdani, S. L. Abbas, and M. J. Abdulhasan, ''Using Iron/Nickel Coated Sand Nanocomposites Prepared by Eucalyptus Leaf Extract for Copper Removal from Aqueous Solutions,'' Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology, vol. 25, no. 7, pp. 219–224, Jul. 2024.
S. Murgolo et al., ''UV and solar-based photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants by nano-sized TiO2 grown on carbon nanotubes,'' Catalysis Today, vol. 240, pp. 114–124, Feb. 2015.
N. A. Mohammed, A. I. Alwared, and M. S. Salman, ''Photocatalytic Degradation of Reactive Yellow Dye in Wastewater using H2O2/TiO2/UV Technique,'' Iraqi Journal of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 15–21, Mar. 2020.
E. Elmolla and M. Chaudhuri, ''Photocatalytic Degradation of Some Antibiotics in Aqueous Solution,'' in the Water Malaysia 2009 International Conference on Industry Best Practices, Kuala Lumpur, May 2009.
A. Z. Al-Qaisi, K. R. Al-Murshady, S. A. Raheem, and Z. H. Ali, ''Drainage Water Application for Irrigation Purposes: Case-Study, HAJI-ALI Drain, Babylon,'' W&E Internatiomal (Water Resources Section), vol. 65r, no. 12, pp. 14–18, Mar. 2022.
A. Mir, N. Becheikh, L. Khezami, M. Bououdina, and A. Ouderni, ''Synthesis, Characterization, and Study of the Photocatalytic Activity upon Polymeric-Surface Modification of ZnO Nanoparticles,'' Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 12047–12053, Dec. 2023.
N. M. Ibrahim, H. H. Ismail, T. A. Abed, O. H. Saleh, and M. J. Abdulhasan, ''Using of crushed glass supported Fe/Cu bimetallic nanoparticles for remediation of ciprofloxacin antibiotic from aqueous solution,'' South African Journal of Chemical Engineering, vol. 49, pp. 233–248, Jul. 2024.
A. A. K. K. Rikabi, M. W. Mahdi Alzubadiy, Z. H. Ali, H. M. Khudhair, and M. J. Abdulhasan, ''Optimization of ecofriendly L-Fe/Ni nanoparticles prepared using extract of black tea leaves for removal of tetracycline antibiotics from groundwater by response surface methodology,'' South African Journal of Chemical Engineering, vol. 50, pp. 89–99, Oct. 2024.
S. Oza, P. Kodgire, and S. S. Kachhwaha, ''Analysis of RSM Based BBD and CCD Techniques Applied for Biodiesel Production from Waste Cotton-Seed Cooking Oil via Ultrasound Method,'' Analytical Chemistry Letters, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 86–101, Jan. 2022.
K. A. Mohamad Said and M. A. Mohamed Amin, ''Overview on the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in Extraction Processes,'' Journal of Applied Science & Process Engineering, vol. 2, no. 1, May 2016.
S. Roy, A. Kr Saha, S. Panda, and G. Dey, ''Optimization of turmeric oil extraction in an annular supercritical fluid extractor by comparing BBD-RSM and FCCD-RSM approaches,'' Materials Today: Proceedings, vol. 76, pp. 47–55, 2023.
M. J. Anderson and P. J. Whitcomb, RSM simplified: optimizing processes using response surface methods for design of experiments. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis, 2017.
G. Loos et al., ''Electrochemical oxidation of key pharmaceuticals using a boron doped diamond electrode,'' Separation and Purification Technology, vol. 195, pp. 184–191, Apr. 2018.
S. Salehnia, B. Barikbin, and R. Khosravi, ''Removal of Penicillin G by Electro-fenton Process from Aqueous Solutions,'' Journal of Research in Environmental Health, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 23–33, 2020.
M. H. Sayadi, S. Homaeigohar, A. Rezaei, and H. Shekari, ''Bi/SnO2/TiO2-graphene nanocomposite photocatalyst for solar visible light–induced photodegradation of pentachlorophenol,'' Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 28, no. 12, pp. 15236–15247, Mar. 2021.
A. Nasiri, F. Tamaddon, M. H. Mosslemin, M. Amiri Gharaghani, and A. Asadipour, ''Magnetic nano-biocomposite CuFe2 O4 @methylcellulose (MC) prepared as a new nano-photocatalyst for degradation of ciprofloxacin from aqueous solution,'' Environmental Health Engineering and Management, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 41–51, Feb. 2019.
M. H. Sayadi, S. Ghollasimood, N. Ahmadpour, and S. Homaeigohar, ''Biosynthesis of the ZnO/SnO2 nanoparticles and characterization of their photocatalytic potential for removal of organic water pollutants,'' Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, vol. 425, Mar. 2022, Art. no. 113662.
N. Belhouchet, B. Hamdi, H. Chenchouni, and Y. Bessekhouad, ''Photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline antibiotic using new calcite/titania nanocomposites,'' Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, vol. 372, pp. 196–205, Mar. 2019.
G. K. Turkay and H. Kumbur, ''Investigation of amoxicillin removal from aqueous solution by Fenton and photocatalytic oxidation processes,'' Kuwait Journal of Science, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 85–93, Oct. 2019.
S. Alahiane, S. Qourzal, M. El Ouardi, A. Abaamrane, and A. Assabbane, ''Factors Influencing the Photocatalytic Degradation of Reactive Yellow 145 by TiO<sub>2</sub>-Coated Non-Woven Fibers,'' American Journal of Analytical Chemistry, vol. 05, no. 08, pp. 445–454.
N. A. Mohammed, A. I. Alwared, M. J. Abdulhasan, and M. S. Salman, ''Optimization and kinetic evaluation of reactive yellow dye degradation by solar photocatalytic process,'' Desalination and Water Treatment, vol. 277, pp. 234–243, Nov. 2022.
N. C. Eli-Chukwu, ''Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture: A Review,'' Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 4377–4383, Aug. 2019.
K. Thamaraiselvi, T. Sivakumar, A. Brindha, and E. Elangovan, ''Photocatalytic Degradation of Reactive Dyes Over Titanates,'' Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 2087–2098, Apr. 2019.
K. P. Suwondo, N. H. Aprilita, and E. T. Wahyuni, ''Advanced Oxidation Processes of Amoxicillin Based on Visible Light Active Nitrogen-Doped TiO2 Photocatalyst,'' Indonesian Journal of Chemistry, vol. 23, no. 2, Apr. 2023, Art. no. 523.
M. Safari et al., ''Solar photocatalytic degradation of amoxicillin using Ni:TiO2 nanocatalyst stabilized on ceramic plates,'' Desalination and Water Treatment, vol. 270, pp. 163–171, Sep. 2022.
Downloads
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Hebatallah Mohammed Khudhair, Teba Saadi Hussein, Hawraa Jumaa Hashim, Omar Sajer Naser, Maryam Jawad Abdulhasan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after its publication in ETASR with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
