10.57647/j.ijic.2025.1604.15

Development of a Hybrid α-Fe₂O₃-ZnO Photocatalyst Supported on Clinoptilolite for Pharmaceutical Pollutant Degradation

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  • Mozhgan Zafari1,
  • Mohammad Reza Abedi*1,
  • Hassan Ali Zamani1,
  • Mahmoud Ebrahimi1,
  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Ma.C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

Received: 2025-10-23

Revised: 2025-11-30

Accepted: 2025-12-30

Published in Issue 2025-12-30

Copyright (c) 2025 Mozhgan Zafari, Mohammad Reza Abedi, Hassan Ali Zamani, Mahmoud Ebrahimi (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Zafari, M., Abedi, M. R., Zamani, H. A., & Ebrahimi, M. (2025). Development of a Hybrid α-Fe₂O₃-ZnO Photocatalyst Supported on Clinoptilolite for Pharmaceutical Pollutant Degradation. International Journal of Industrial Chemistry, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.57647/j.ijic.2025.1604.15
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Abstract

Currently, it is well recognized that the protection and restoration of the fresh water sources is vital. In the current paper, α-Fe2O3/ZnO nanophotocatalysts supported on the surface of Clinoptilolite (CP) – (α-Fe2O3/ZnO/CP) using the solid-state dispersion (SSD) method was employed to degrade Atenolol (ATL) in aquatic environments. The UV/H2O2 process was used in this regard. All products were characterized by using FTIR, SEM, EDX and XRD. In order to reach optimal conditions, a full-factorial experimental design was used where the parameters affecting on the degradation including ATL concentration, catalyst loading, H2O2 concentration, pH, and catalyst composition were taken into account at three levels. ATL degradation was monitored using UV/VIS spectroscopy at λ = 224 nm. The final results indicated that the optimal conditions for reaching maximum degradation(x%=95.73) were as follows: ATL concentration = 10 mgL-1, catalyst concentration = 300 mgL-1, H2O2 concentration = 1 mgL-1, pH = 9, chemical composition = Fe (75%), Zn (25%) and reaction time 75min. A first-order reaction with k = 0.0036 min-1 was observed for the photocatalytic degradation reaction.

Keywords

  • Atenolol,
  • Clinoptilolite,
  • α-Fe2O3,
  • Full factorial,
  • Photocatalyst,
  • ZnO
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