Visible‐Light‐Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Amoxicillin Using <scp>FeMoO<sub>2</sub></scp>/Chitosan/<scp>CdO</scp> Nanocomposite for Sustainable Water Treatment
Velusamy Arul, K. Radhakrishnan, Narayanan Kasthuri, D. Senthil Vadivu, Jothi Vinoth Kumar, M. Sherlin Nivetha, R. Mythili, Sandhanasamy Devanesan
Abstract
ABSTRACT This work focused on the photocatalytic degradation of amoxicillin using the recently developed FeMoO 4 /chitosan/CdO nanocomposite (FeMoO 4 /CS/CdO). The most typical antibiotic, amoxicillin, raises environmental threats due to its persistence in aquatic environments. Amoxicillin, extensively utilized as an antibiotic, has environmental concerns due to its existence in aquatic environments. The nanocomposite, comprising iron molybdate (FeMoO 4 ), chitosan (CS), and cadmium oxide (CdO) nanoparticles, was synthesized to couple the distinct properties of each constituent, enhancing its overall functionality. FCC‐NC was characterized by the presence of clearly defined peaks in the infrared (IR) spectra, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectra, and x‐ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. We studied the photocatalytic degradation of amoxicillin (AXM) using the FeMoO 4 /CS/CdO nanocomposite. Under ideal conditions (40 mg catalyst dosage and 10 mg/L initial AXM concentration), we achieved a degradation efficiency of roughly 90.8%, following pseudo‐first‐order kinetics with a rate constant of 0.0222 min −1 . The immobilized FeMoO 2 /chitosan/CdO nanocomposite was more photocatalytically active than bare FeMoO 2 because it exhibited less charge carrier recombination, according to EIS and PL analysis. Hence, the FeMoO 4 /chitosan/CdO nanocomposite has a vast opportunity in the long‐term mechanism of eradicating pharmaceutical pollutants in water. This study shows that the obtained results may be useful in the field of environmental cleanliness and water purification technologies.