Synergistic photocatalytic removal of moxifloxacin from aqueous solutions using ZnO-Fe 3 O 4 -chitosan composites

The escalating contamination of water bodies with antibiotic residues is an urgent environmental and public health issue. This study aimed to fabricate an innovative photocatalytic composite (CMZ) by combining chitosan, magnetic iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ), and zinc oxide (ZnO) for efficiently removing antibiotic moxifloxacin (MFX) water. Comprehensive characterization of the fabricated CMZ was performed using various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherm analysis. The synergistic incorporation of ZnO, Fe 3 O 4 , and chitosan in the CMZ composite altered the structural properties of ZnO and chitosan The band gap energy of CMZ was 2.58 eV, significantly boosting its photocatalytic effectiveness under visible light exposure. The CMZ composites exhibited a high efficiency in catalyzing MFX degradation in aqueous environments. The optimal conditions for MFX degradation were established, including a neutral pH level of 7, a 90 min exposure to irradiation, and employing 0.1 g of the CMZ catalyst. The degradation process obeyed closely to the first-order kinetic model. The CMZ material showed consistently high performance in degrading MFX across four consecutive reuse cycles, emphasizing its practical applicability for mitigating antibiotic pollution.