Zirconium ferrite incorporated zeolitic imidazolate framework-8: a suitable photocatalyst for degradation of dopamine and sulfamethoxazole in aqueous solution

Abstract

The complete removal of pharmaceutical wastes from polluted water systems is a global challenge. Therefore, this study incorporates zirconium ferrite (ZrFe₂O₄) into zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) to form ZrFe₂O₄@ZIF-8. The ZrFe₂O₄@ZIF-8 is a photocatalyst for removing dopamine (DOP) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) from an aqueous solution. The scanning electron micrograph revealed the surfaces of ZrFe₂O₄ and ZrFe₂O₄@ZIF-8 to be heterogeneous with irregularly shaped and sized particles. The transmission electron micrograph (TEM) images of ZrFe₂O₄ and ZrFe₂O₄@ZIF-8 showed an average particle size of 24.32 nm and 32.41 nm, respectively, with a bandgap of 2.10 eV (ZrFe₂O₄@ZIF-8) and 2.05 eV (ZrFe₂O₄). ZrFe₂O₄@ZIF-8 exhibited a better degradation capacity towards DOP and SMX than ZrFe₂O₄. ZrFe₂O₄@ZIF-8 expressed a complete (100%) degradation of DOP and SMX during the photodegradation process. Interestingly, the process involved both adsorption and photocatalytic degradation simultaneously. ZrFe₂O₄@ZIF-8 demonstrated high stability with a consistent regeneration capacity of 98.40% for DOP and 94.00% for SMX at the 10^th cycle of treatment in a process described by pseudo-first-order kinetics. The study revealed ZrFe₂O₄@ZIF-8 as a promising photocatalyst for the purification of DOP and SMX-contaminated water systems.