Piezo-enhanced photocatalytic diclofenac mineralization over ZnO
Daniela Meroni, Claudia L. Bianchi, Daria C. Boffito, G. Cerrato, Anna Bruni, M. Sartirana, Ermelinda Falletta
Abstract
The degradation of diclofenac has been realized for the first time by a piezo-enhanced sonophotocatalytic approach based on ZnO. The sonophotocatalytic degradation showed a slight enhancement in the degradation of the parent compound, whereas strong synergistic effects were observed for the mineralization process when suitable ZnO morphologies are used, reaching 70% of complete degradation of 25 ppm diclofenac using 0.1 g/L ZnO in 360 min. Tests in a complex water matrix show enhanced diclofenac removal, outperforming a TiO2 benchmark photocatalyst. These promising experimental results promote this process as a good alternative to traditional degradation approaches for remediation of real water matrices.