Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and sulfisoxazole from water using biosynthesized zinc ferrite nanoparticles

The extensive occurrence of textile and pharmaceutical contaminants and their metabolites in water systems has posed significant concerns regarding their possible threat to human health and the environmental system. As a result, herein ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized through the use of Monsonia burkeana plant extract. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using XRD, FTIR, UV-vis, SEM, EDS, TGA, BET, PL, EPR and VSM. XRD showed that the crystalline structure of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles with a calculated crystal size of 25.03 nm was formed. FT-IR confirmed the characteristic functional groups contained within the M. burkeana plant were deposited on the formed ferrite nanoparticles. BET analysis confirmed the mesoporous nature of ZnFe2O4 with an average pore diameter of 31.6 nm. Morphological studies demonstrated that the formed nanoparticles had spherical as well as rod-like shapes. ZnFe2O4 photocatalyst illustrated that it may be effortlessly detached by an external magnetic field. The optimum conditions for the 99.8% removal of Methylene Blue was obtained at pH12, within 45min and at the optimum dosage of 25 mg of the catalyst. The as-prepared ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles proved to be easily separated and recycled, and remained efficient even after 5 reuses, proving that the material is highly stable. The ROS studies also demonstrated that electrons are the main factors contributing to the degradation of MB. Upon testing the photocatalytic performance of the sulfonamide antibiotic, sulfisoxazole in water showed a degradation of 67%. This study has shown that these materials can be used in targeting textile and pharmaceutically polluted water.