Synthesis of cerium oxide embedded perovskite type bismuth ferrite nanocomposites for sonophotocatalysis of aqueous micropollutant ibuprofen
Jamshaid Rashid, Ali Ahsan, Ming Xu, Irina N. Savina, Faisal Rehman
Abstract
significantly increased the surface area and pore volume of bismuth ferrite, which enhanced their photocatalytic degradation efficiency by 2.28 times in terms of ibuprofen mineralization. Sonolysis treatment alone and in combination with photolysis led to the degradation of ibuprofen, but with the formation of intermediate products. Positive synergy was observed when sonolysis was combined with photocatalysis in terms of the mineralization of ibuprofen and the degradation of intermediates along with their parent compound. It was proposed that, compared to photocatalytic mineralization, the ultrasound-assisted advanced oxidation process resulted in the conversion of ibuprofen to its mineralization products.