Tetracycline and Doxycycline photocatalytic degradation by Nano α-Fe2O3/12-tungstosilicic acid prepared through forced hydrolysis and reflux condensation

In the research, spherical α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and supported on the surface of 12-tungstosilicic acid (12-TSA.7H2O) using forced hydrolysis and reflux condensation (FHRC) method. Photocatalytic activity of pure and supported α-Fe2O3 NPs (α-Fe2O3/2-TSA.7H2O) for Tetracycline (TC) and Doxycycline (DC) degradation was investigated using UV/H2O2 process. The products were characterized by FTIR, SEM/EDX, BET surface area and XRD. The experiments were designed considering four variables including pH, the initial concentration of pollutant, catalyst concentration and H2O2 concentration at two-levels and three central point s using full factorial experimental design. The results indicated that supporting α-Fe2O3 NPs caused to improve the filtration, recovery and photocatalytic activity of NPs. Under optimal conditions, 88.44% TC and 87.67% DC were degraded following 50 and 120 min, respectively. The results indicated that reactions follows first-order kinetic and rate coefficient for TC and DC degradation reactions equals to 0.0178 and 0.0074 min–1, respectively.