Porous and Bifunctional ZnO-Hydroxyapatite Nanostructure for Photocatalytic Degradation of Paracetamol and Methylene Blue in Water

Abstract

Porous ZnO-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite was prepared by dissolution of a rock phosphate ore in an acidic medium followed by alkaline precipitation. Its photocatalytic activity was assessed for the degradation of paracetamol as one of the most commonly prescribed pharmaceutical drugs and methylene blue as dye model. Thanks to its good porosity, the 40ZnHAp nanocomposite adsorbed the selected pollutants better than the individual ZnO and HAp phases. 40ZnHAp calcined at 500° completely degrades the studied pollutants faster than ZnO, although a longer illumination time is required for the degradation of paracetamol. The low-cost 40ZnHAp nanomaterial can be considered as a potential photocatalyst for wastewater treatment due to its high porosity, which facilitates the entrapment of initial pollutants and/or by-products. It leads to a complete mineralization, consequently yielding healthy discharged water.