Electrochemical and Catalytic Studies of a Supported Photocatalyst Produced from Petrochemical Residue in the Photocatalytic Degradation of Dexamethasone and Guaifenesin Drugs

Dexamethasone and guaifenesin were comparatively degraded under UV and visible radiation in the presence of a supported photocatalyst generated from petrochemical residue. For comparative reasons, photochemical tests were also conducted in the presence of commercial titania (P25). The photoelectrochemical behavior of the supported photocatalyst was examined using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry in the dark and under LED irradiation. This photodegradation study indicates the highest drug degradation values were observed for guaifenesin under UV (48.6 %) and visible (45.2 %) radiation with the synthesized photocatalyst. Under the same conditions, the commercial P25 catalyst achieved 66.3 and 50.2 % of the degradation under UV and visible radiation, respectively. Exploratory tests with tap water samples revealed that the system may be sensitive to other analytes present in these environmental samples.