Waste-to-energy insight: Coupled photocatalytic amoxicillin degradation and hydrogen evolution with NiFe-LDH

Abstract

In this study, a nickel–iron layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) photocatalyst was synthesized via a co-precipitation method and applied for the simultaneous degradation of amoxicillin (AMX) and hydrogen (H2) generation under visible light irradiation. NiFe-LDH was characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD, and BET analyses, confirming its layered structure, homogeneous elemental distribution, and a specific surface area of 7.56 m2/g. The photocatalytic performance of NiFe-LDH was systematically evaluated by varying solution pH, catalyst loading, and initial AMX concentration. The optimal AMX degradation (~90%) and hydrogen evolution (58.2 μmol) were achieved at pH 7 with a catalyst loading of 2 g/L and an initial AMX concentration of 5 ppm. Total organic carbon (TOC) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies reached 65.8% and 84.9%, respectively, under these conditions. The results demonstrate that NiFe-LDH exhibits a promising dual functionality in pollutant mineralization and clean energy production, offering a sustainable waste-to-energy pathway for water treatment applications.

Keywords

• Amoxicillin
• hydrogen
• NiFe-LDH
• photocatalysis
• wastewater treatment

Atıktan enerji üretimine yönelik bir yaklaşım: NiFe-LDH kullanılarak fotokatalitik amoksisilin giderimi ve hidrojen üretiminin birlikte gerçekleştirilmesi

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, nikel–demir tabakalı çift hidroksit (NiFe-LDH) fotokatalizörü çöktürme yöntemiyle sentezlenmiş ve görünür ışık altında amoksisilin (AMX) giderimi ile eşzamanlı hidrojen (H2) üretimi için kullanılmıştır. NiFe-LDH; SEM, FTIR, XRD ve BET analizleriyle karakterize edilmiş, tabakalı yapısı, homojen element dağılımı ve 7,56 m2/g özgül yüzey alanına sahip olduğu doğrulanmıştır. NiFe-LDH’nin fotokatalitik performansı, çözeltinin pH’ısı, katalizör yüklemesi ve başlangıç AMX konsantrasyonu değiştirilerek sistematik olarak değerlendirilmiştir. En yüksek AMX giderimi (~%90) ve hidrojen üretimi (58.2 μmol) pH 7, 2 g/L katalizör yüklemesi ve 5 ppm başlangıç AMX konsantrasyonunda elde edilmiştir. Bu koşullarda toplam organik karbon (TOK) ve kimyasal oksijen ihtiyacı (KOİ) giderim verimleri sırasıyla %65.8 ve %84.9 olarak belirlenmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlar, NiFe-LDH’nin kirletici mineralizasyonu ve temiz enerji üretimi açısından çift işlevli bir potansiyele sahip olduğunu ortaya koymakta ve su arıtım uygulamaları için sürdürülebilir bir atıktan enerjiye dönüşüm yolu sunduğunu göstermektedir.

Keywords

• Amoksisilin
• Hidrojen
• NiFe-LDH
• Fotokataliz
• Atık su arıtımı

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