Synthesis of modified beta bismuth oxide by titanium oxide and highly efficient solar photocatalytic properties on hydroxychloroquine degradation and pathways

[Display omitted] •Preparation of heterogeneous structures TiO2 /β-Bi2O3 using hydrothermal method.•Efficient photocatalyst for optical degradation of HCQ with 91.89% efficiency under sunlight.•β-Bi2O3 acts as a light sensitizing agent for TiO2.•HCQ degradation kinetics and photocatalytic mechanisms were investigated. With the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic the use of Hydroxychloroquine increased. These compounds have harmful effects on the environment, such as generation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria; therefore, their degradation has been considered as one of the environmental challenges. The purpose of this research is to synthesize heterogeneous structure of TiO2/β-Bi2O3 by hydrothermal method for solar degradation of Hydroxychloroquine. Then, the accurate characteristics of the synthesized samples were investigated by XRD, FESEM, TEM, XPS, UV–vis (DRS), and BET surface analyzer. Photocatalytic degradation of Hydroxychloroquine was studied under sunlight, and it was found that the visible light absorption of TiO2 photocatalyst by mixing β-Bi2O3 nanoparticles was greatly increased and 91.89% of the degradation was obtained in 120 min of photocatalytic reaction. This improvement can be attributed to the increased specific surface area, efficient charge transfer, and reduced electron-hole recombination with the β-Bi2O3 compound. Kinetic studies also reacted to follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. Also, demonstrated high stability and recyclability for nanoparticles, so that after 6 cycles of using the catalyst in take, 70.59% degradation was performed. According to the results, the excellent photocatalytic degradation activity demonstrated by the TiO2/β-Bi2O3, therefore, it is a potential candidate for the process of removing other organic contaminants from aqueous solutions.