Floret-like N-doped ZnO nanomaterial for efficient removal of a fluoroquinolone antibiotic (FQ) under natural sunlight

[Display omitted] •N-doped photocatalyst was successfully prepared by the co-precipitation method.•Photocatalytic degradation of Moxifloxacin (MOF) was studied.•Maximum degradation of MOF is 99.73% attained at 360 min under sunlight irradiation.•N-ZnO, Potential photocatalyst for treating MOF-containing wastewater. The photocatalytic degradation of a fluoroquinolone antibiotic (Moxifloxacin (MOF)) was studied using a N-doped ZnO (NZO) photocatalyst, synthesized by co-precipitation method. The efficiency of ZnO was optimized by nitrogen doping, using ammonium carbonate as a nitrogen source. The prepared NZO photocatalyst was analyzed by various instrumental techniques. NZO was observed to be a floret-like structure with particle sizes ranging from 10 to 20 nm. The band gap energy was found to be 3.01 eV for prepared NZO, indicating that the photocatalytic degradation process would proceeds under natural sunlight. The degradation efficiency of NZO was analyzed using MOF as a typical target pollutant. The results indicated that the maximum degradation of MOF is 99.73 % which was attained at 360 min in an optimum condition under sunlight irradiation (pH = 6.51, NZO dosage = 10 mg, and MOF concentration = 5 ppm). The rate of reaction (5 ppm 1.54 x 10–2 min-1) illustrated that the reaction follows a pseudo-first-order kinetics. It had an improved photocatalytic activity when exposed to natural sunlight. Hence, the prepared NZO is working very efficiently for the degradation of an antibiotic MOF under natural sunlight. These findings are promising for the real-time application of NZO in removing endocrine disruptors.