* Corresponding Author
Efficient Photodegradation of Paracetamol, Diclofenac Sodium, and Tetracycline Using TiO2-Fe3O4 Nanocomposite Loaded on Chitosan Nickel Complex
https://doi.org/10.22146/ijc.113907 Kozhikottuthodi Puthanveedu Nalini(1*), Sugaraj Samuel(2), Rajendran Sribalan(3)
(1) Department of Physics, The New College (Affiliated to University of Madras), Chennai-600014, India; Department of Physics, Chevalier T. Thomas Elizabeth College for Women (Affiliated to University of Madras), Chennai-600011, India
(2) Department of Physics, The New College (Affiliated to University of Madras), Chennai-600014, India
(3) Biochemie Innovations Lab, Tindivanam-604001, India
(*) Corresponding Author
Abstract
TiO2-Fe3O4 nanocomposite loaded on a chitosan-nickel complex was synthesized and analyzed for its structural and optical properties using XRD, FTIR, SEM, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The XRD studies revealed that the synthesized sample is amorphous. The UV-vis absorption peaks confirmed the presence of TiO2 and Fe3O4 in the sample. The SEM results showed spherical morphology, with a particle size of 94.3 nm. The synthesized nanocomposite was investigated for photocatalytic degradation of three pharmaceutical drugs - diclofenac sodium, paracetamol, and tetracycline - under different light sources and varying pH conditions. The photocatalytic degradation experiments were carried out using the pharmaceutical drugs at a concentration of 200 mg L−1 and the synthesized nanocomposite at a dosage of 50 mg L−1. The findings reflect that in an acidic environment, diclofenac sodium degraded most effectively when exposed to UV radiation. Under visible light, tetracycline degraded up to 87%, whereas paracetamol demonstrated a maximum degradation efficiency of 94%. All three drugs exhibited enhanced degradation in acidic pH, highlighting the significance of the nanocomposite for wastewater treatment applications.
Keywords
Full Text:
Full Text PDFReferences
[1] Wei, Y., Cui, M., Ye, Z., and Guo, Q., 2021, Environmental challenges from the increasing medical waste since SARS outbreak, J. Cleaner Prod., 291, 125246.
[2] Wada, O.Z., and Olawade, D.B., 2025, Recent occurrence of pharmaceuticals in freshwater, emerging treatment technologies, and future considerations: A review, Chemosphere, 374, 144153.
[3] Omo, Q.G., and Hassan, N.E., 2024, Biomedical waste management and their effects on the Environment: A review, World J. Adv. Eng. Technol. Sci., 11 (1), 86–95.
[4] Ghali, H., Cheikh, A.B., Bhiri, S., Bouzgarrou, L., Rejeb, M.B., Gargouri, I., and Latiri, H.S., 2023, Health and environmental impact of hospital wastes: Systematic review, Dubai Med. J., 6 (2), 67–80.
[5] Thakur, H., 2024, Biomedical waste management in India-A review, J. Popul. Ther. Clin. Pharmacol., 31 (1), 2222–2229.
[6] Li, X., Wei, H., Song, T., Lu, H., and Wang, X., 2023, A review of the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in water by modified TiO2, Water Sci. Technol., 88 (6), 1495–1507.
[7] Navidpour, A.H., Ahmed, M.B., and Zhou, J.L., 2024, Photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical residues from water and sewage effluent using different TiO2 nanomaterials, Nanomaterials, 14 (2), 135.
[8] Swaminaathan, P., Saravanan, A., Yaashikaa, P.R., and Vickram, A.S., 2024, Recent advances in photocatalytic degradation of persistent organic pollutants: Mechanisms, challenges, and modification strategies, Sustainable Chem. Environ., 8, 100171.
[9] Ramanathan, S., Rashmitha, R.M., Chuang, H.C., Kasemchainan, J., Arumugam, M.K., Lydia, I.S., Pandiyarajan, S., and Poompradub, S., 2024, Synergistic photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet dye using novel medical waste-derived carbon/ZnO composite: A study on toxicological assessment, Process Saf. Environ. Prot., 187, 145–158.
[10] Geldasa, F.T., Kebede, M.A., Shura, M.W., and Hone, F.G., 2023, Experimental and computational study of metal oxide nanoparticles for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants: A review, RSC Adv., 13 (27), 18404–18442.
[11] Osawa, R.A., Barrocas, B.T., Monteiro, O.C., Oliveira, M.C., and Florêncio, M.H., 2020, Visible light photocatalytic degradation of amitriptyline using cobalt doped titanate nanowires: Kinetics and characterization of transformation products, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., 8 (1), 103585.
[12] Parul, P., Kaur, K., Badru, R., Singh, P.P., and Kaushal, S., 2020, Photodegradation of organic pollutants using heterojunctions: A review, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., 8 (2), 103666.
[13] Ma, Y., Wang, X., Jia, Y., Chen, X., Han, H., and Li, C., 2014, Titanium dioxide-based nanomaterials for photocatalytic fuel generations, Chem. Rev., 114 (19), 9987–10043.
[14] Barrocas, B.T., Ambrožová, N., and Kočí, K., 2022, Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide on TiO2 heterojunction photocatalysts—A review, Materials, 15 (3), 967.
[15] Nakata, K., and Fujishima, A., 2012, TiO2 photocatalysis: Design and applications, J. Photochem. Photobiol., C, 13 (3), 169–189.
[16] Eidsvåg, H., Bentouba, S., Vajeeston, P., Yohi, S., and Velauthapillai, D., 2021, TiO2 as a photocatalyst for water splitting—An experimental and theoretical review, Molecules, 26 (6), 1687.
[17] Armaković, S.J., Savanović, M.M., and Armaković, S., 2022, Titanium dioxide as the most used photocatalyst for water purification: An overview, Catalysts, 13 (1), 26.
[18] Shanmuganathan, R., Nguyen, N.D., Fathima H, A., Devanesan, S., Farhat, K., and Liu, X., 2023, In vitro analysis of iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticle mediated degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their antimicrobial activity, Chemosphere, 345, 140513.
[19] Kianfar, A.H., and Arayesh, M.A., 2020, Synthesis, characterization and investigation of photocatalytic and catalytic applications of Fe3O4/TiO2/CuO nanoparticles for degradation of MB and reduction of nitrophenols, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., 8 (1), 103640.
[20] Mishra, P., Patnaik, S., and Parida, K., 2019, An overview of recent progress on noble metal modified magnetic Fe3O4 for photocatalytic pollutant degradation and H2 evolution, Catal. Sci. Technol., 9 (4), 916–941.
[21] Sunaryono, S., Fitriana, D.R., Novita, L.R., Hidayat, M.F., Hartatiek, H., Mufti, N., and Taufiq, A., 2020, The effect of Fe3O4 concentration to photocatalytic activity of Fe3O4@TiO2-PVP core-shell nanocomposite, J. Phys.: Conf. Ser., 1595 (1), 012003.
[22] Pourkodee, D., Renuka Devee, D., and Sailatha, E., 2025, Synthesis and photocatalytic efficiency of novel ZnO-CBS-Ni complex for diclofenac sodium under irradiation of light, Inorg. Chem. Commun., 171, 113585.
[23] Rashid, S., Shen, C., Yang, J., Liu, J., and Li, J., 2018, Preparation and properties of chitosan–metal complex: Some factors influencing the adsorption capacity for dyes in aqueous solution, J. Environ. Sci., 66, 301–309.
[24] Yuan, Y.J., Yu, Z.T., Chen, D.Q., and Zou, Z.G., 2017, Metal-complex chromophores for solar hydrogen generation, Chem. Soc. Rev., 46 (3), 603–631.
[25] Zhou, W., Niu, F., Mao, S.S., and Shen, S., 2018, Nickel complex engineered interface energetics for efficient photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution over p-Si, Appl. Catal., B, 220, 362–366.
[26] Wegeberg, C., and Wenger, O.S., 2021, Luminescent first-row transition metal complexes, JACS Au, 1 (11), 1860–1876.
[27] Jia, H., Shao, X., Wang, Y., Zhang, J., Li, R., and Peng, T., 2024, Nickel porphyrin/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction with Ni-S highway for boosting charge separation and visible-light-driven H2 production, Appl. Catal. B Environ. Energy, 353, 124090.
[28] Castellanos-Rubio, I., Arriortua, O., Iglesias-Rojas, D., Barón, A., Rodrigo, I., Marcano, L., Garitaonandia, J.S., Orue, I., Fdez-Gubieda, M.L., and Insausti, M., 2021, A milestone in the chemical synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles: unreported bulklike properties lead to a remarkable magnetic hyperthermia, Chem. Mater., 33 (22), 8693–8704.
[29] Jallouli, N., Elghniji, K., Trabelsi, H., and Ksibi, M., 2017, Photocatalytic degradation of paracetamol on TiO2 nanoparticles and TiO2/cellulosic fiber under UV and sunlight irradiation, Arabian J. Chem., 10, S3640–S3645.
[30] Lara-Pérez, C., Leyva, E., Zermeño, B., Osorio, I., Montalvo, C., and Moctezuma, E., 2020, Photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac sodium salt: Adsorption and reaction kinetic studies, Environ. Earth Sci., 79 (11), 277.
[31] Nagamine, M., Osial, M., Jackowska, K., Krysinski, P., and Widera-Kalinowska, J., 2020, Tetracycline photocatalytic degradation under CdS treatment, J. Mar. Sci. Eng., 8 (7), 483.
[32] Kalaiarasi, S., and Jose, M., 2017, Dielectric functionalities of anatase phase titanium dioxide nanocrystals synthesized using water-soluble complexes, Appl. Phys. A: Mater. Sci. Process., 123 (8), 512.
[33] Kouhbanani, M.A.J., Beheshtkhoo, N., Taghizadeh, S., Amani, A.M., and Alimardani, V., 2019, One-step green synthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles using aqueous leaf extract of Teucrium polium and their catalytic application in dye degradation, Adv. Nat. Sci.: Nanosci. Nanotechnol., 10 (1), 015007.
[34] Ma, J., Li, W., Le, N.T., Díaz-Real, J.A., Body, M., Legein, C., Światowska, J., Demortière, A., Borkiewicz, O.J., Konstantinova, E.A., Kokorin, A.I., Alonso-Vante, N., Laberty-Robert, C., and Dambournet, D., 2019, Red-shifted absorptions of cation-defective and surface-functionalized anatase with enhanced photoelectrochemical properties, ACS Omega, 4 (6), 10929–10938.
[35] Sandhya, J., and Kalaiselvam, S., 2020, Biogenic synthesis of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles using inedible borassus flabellifer seed coat: characterization, antimicrobial, antioxidant activity and in vitro cytotoxicity analysis, Mater. Res. Express, 7 (1), 015045.
[36] Chakraborty, A., Nandi, R., Kumar, D., and Acharya, H., 2024, Investigation on the drug release efficacy of the ibuprofen-loaded ZIF-8/Fe3O4 NPs nanocarrier, ACS Omega, 9 (30), 32418–32428.
[37] Murugan, A.S., Balamurugan, T.S.T., Annaraj, J., and Kathiresan, S., 2025, Instant detection of environment pollutants (Hg2+/Cu2+) in water and food samples using pyrene-based chemosensor, and its bio imaging applications, J. Mol. Liq., 419, 126785.
[38] Arumugam, S.M., Mahala, S., Devi, B., Kumar, S., Kunchala, R.K., and Elumalai, S., 2023, Molybdenum sulfide-2D nanosheets offering multiple metallic sites enable different sugar epimerization reactions to rare sugars in water, React. Chem. Eng., 8 (10), 2641–2657.
[39] Kumar, S., Arumugam, S.M., Sharma, S., Mahala, S., Devi, B., and Elumalai, S., 2022, Insights into the kinetics and mechanism of spermine (base)-catalyzed D-fructose interconversion to low-calorie D-allulose, Mol. Catal., 533, 112757.
[40] Halls, M.D., Tripp, C.P., and Bernhard Schlegel, H., 2001, Structure and infrared (IR) assignments for the OLED material: N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(1-naphthyl)-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4″-diamine (NPB), Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 3 (11), 2131–2136.
[41] Fatoni, A., Hariani, P.L., Hermansyah, H., and Lesbani, A., 2018, Synthesis and characterization of chitosan linked by methylene bridge and Schiff base of 4,4-diaminodiphenyl ether-vanillin, Indones. J. Chem., 18 (1), 92–101.
[42] Mu, Q., Sun, Y., Guo, A., Yu, X., Xu, X., Cai, A., and Wang, X., 2019, Bio-templated synthesis of Fe3O4–TiO2 composites derived from Chlorella pyrenoidosa with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance, Mater. Res. Express, 6 (9), 0950c3.
[43] Alnajrani, M.N., and Alsager, O.A., 2020, Removal of antibiotics from water by polymer of intrinsic microporosity: Isotherms, kinetics, thermodynamics, and adsorption mechanism, Sci. Rep., 10 (1), 794.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22146/ijc.113907
Article Metrics
Abstract views : 4
| 
views : 1
Copyright (c) 2026 Indonesian Journal of Chemistry
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Indonesian Journal of Chemistry (ISSN 1411-9420 /e-ISSN 2460-1578) - Chemistry Department, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia.