Atenolol removal from aqueous solutions using Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ under UV-C and visible light irradiations

ABSTRACT

In this study, Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ composite was successfully synthesised using the solvothermal method, and the morphology, composition, and surface area of the composite were determined. Comparisons of photocatalytic performance were performed using Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ for the decomposition of Atenolol (ATN) a β-blockers that is generally used to treat disorders such as hypertension and arrhythmias, as a model contaminant under visible light irradiation. The effects of different parameters such as solution pH, catalyst dosage, initial ATN concentration, reaction time, coexisting cations and anions, and turbidity on the degradation efficiency of ATN were investigated. An excellent synergistic effect was observed in the decomposition of ATN with the simultaneous application of Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ and LED compared to single processes (synergistic index value, 4.027). The Bi₂O₃ catalyst has a much lower photocatalytic performance for the decomposition of ATN than the synthesised Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ composite. The optimal rate for pH, catalyst dosage, and initial concentration of ATN was 7, 400 mg/l and 10 mg/l, respectively. Under optimal conditions, about 68.92% and 22.58% of ATN were degraded after 60 minutes in the presence of Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ and Bi₂O₃ catalysts, respectively. However, these efficiencies are reduced to 51.83% and 12.4%, respectively, under 50 NTU. The addition of co-existing anions, especially PO₄^3⁻, remarkably reduced the efficiency of ATN removal in the Bi₂O₃/TiO₂/LED process. The presence of cations promoted the degradation of ATN in the Bi₂O₃/LED process, while the efficiency of ATN degradation was inhibited by the presence of cations in the Bi₂O₃/TiO₂/LED process. The ATN removal efficiency using LED irradiation (49.02%) was much higher than that of UV-C irradiation (27.16%) when the concentration of ATN was 30 mg/L.

KEYWORDS:

• Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ composite
• β-blocker
• light irradiation
• photocatalys

Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the support of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in project No. 397717 with the code of ethics # IR.MUI.RESEARCH.REC.1397.464.

Data Availability

Data are available upon request from the corresponding author.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contribution

Ali Fatehizadeh and Bijan Bina conceptualized the work, project administration, and data evaluation. Asiyeh Bazmeh contributed by doing experiments and manuscript draft preparation. Maryam Heydari contributed with manuscript draft preparation. Ensiyeh Taheri and Mohammad Darvishmotevalli contributed with data evaluation, data analysis, and edited the final manuscript. Ensiyeh Taheri, Ali Fatehizadeh and Bijan Bina reviewed and edited the final manuscript and communicated the submission. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences [397717].