Enhanced catalytic degradation of amoxicillin with TiO2-Fe3O4 composites: Via a submerged magnetic separation membrane photocatalytic reactor (SMSMPR)

Abstract

A novel photo-Fenton catalytic system for the removal of organic pollutants was presented, including the use of photo-Fenton process and a submerged magnetic separation membrane photocatalytic reactor (SMSMPR). We synthesized TiO2-Fe3O4 composites as the photocatalyst and made full use of the magnetism of the photocatalyst to realize the recollection of the catalyst from the medium, which is critical to the commercialization of photocatalytic technology for wastewater treatment. The photo-Fenton performance of TiO2-Fe3O4 is evaluated with amoxicillin trihydrate (AMX) as a target pollutant. The results indicate that the TiO2-Fe3O4/H2O2 oxidation system shows efficient degradation of AMX. Fe3O4 could not only enhance the heterogeneous Fenton degradation of organic compounds but also allow the photocatalyst to be magnetically separated from treated water. After four reaction cycles, the TiO2-Fe3O4 composites still exhibit 85.2% removal efficiency of AMX and show excellent recovery properties. Accordingly, the SMSMPR with the TiO2-Fe3O4 composite is a promising way for removing organic pollutants.