Photodegradation of ciprofloxacin antibiotic in water by using ZnO-doped g-C3N4 photocatalyst

Ciprofloxacin antibiotic (CIP) is one of the antibiotics with the highest rate of antibiotic resistance, if used and managed improperly, can have a negative impact on the ecosystem. In this research, ZnO modified g-C3N4 photocatalyst was prepared and applied for the decomposition of CIP antibiotic compounds in water. The removal performance of CIP by using ZnO/g-C3N4 reached 93.8% under pH 8.0 and an increasing amount of catalyst could improve the degradation performance of the pollutant. The modified ZnO/g-C3N4 completely oxidized CIP at a low concentration of 1 mg L−1 and the CIP removal efficiency slightly decreases (around 13%) at a high level of pollutant (20 mg L−1). The degradation rate of CIP by doped sample ZnO/g-C3N4 was 4.9 times faster than that of undoped g-C3N4. The doped catalyst ZnO/g-C3N4 also displayed high reusability for decomposition of CIP with 89.8% efficiency remaining after 3 cycles. The radical species including ·OH, ·O2− and h+ are important in the CIP degradation process. In addition, the proposed mechanism for CIP degradation by visible light-assisted ZnO/g-C3N4 was claimed. •ZnO doped g-C3N4 photocatalyst could enhance photodegradation of Ciprofloxacin.•ZnO/g-C3N4 completely decomposition of Ciprofloxacin at low concentration.•ZnO/g-C3N4 can reuse for 6 cycles with high removal efficiency of CIP.