Copper ferrite immobilized on chitosan: A suitable photocatalyst for the removal of ciprofloxacin, ampicillin and erythromycin in aqueous solution
Nehad Ahmed Hassan Mohammed, Rehab Nabil Shamma, Sherien Elagroudy, Adewale Adewuyi
Abstract
Copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) was immobilized on chitosan to produce CuFe2O4@Chitosan for the removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP), ampicillin (AMP), and erythromycin (ERY) in water. Characterization of CuFe2O4@Chitosan by X-ray diffraction revealed the crystallite size of 18.12 nm. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area is 9.95 m2 g−1. The vibrating sample magnetometry revealed a saturation magnetization of 37.69 emu g−1. The degradation efficiency by CuFe2O4@Chitosan towards CIP (94.6 ± 0.50%), AMP (92 ± 1.00%) and ERY (90.30 ± 0.50) presents it as a promising photocatalyst for the removal of antibiotics in aqueous solutions. Regeneration capacity showed CuFe2O4@Chitosan to be a promising photocatalyst for removal of antibiotics in water.