Doping-Free PSf/TiO2 Nanocomposite Membrane for Enhanced UV-Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Ofloxacin

Abd Elghany, Nervana Khamis; Galal, Mona Mohamed; Abdel Halim, Hisham

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2025.344533.10989

Doping-Free PSf/TiO2 Nanocomposite Membrane for Enhanced UV-Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Ofloxacin

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Sanitary & Environmental Engineering Division, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt

10.21608/ejchem.2025.344533.10989

Abstract

Pharmaceutical micropollutants are causing major concerns in water and wastewater quality. Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) barely remove these residues effectively. In this study, a new attempt for effective ofloxacin (OFL) degradation from synthetic wastewater using doping-free polysulfone/titanium dioxide (PSf/TiO2) nanocomposite membranes is introduced. The degradation process was enhanced by UV-driven photocatalytic process at different TiO2 loadings (1, 3, and 5 wt%). Successful TiO2 nanoparticle incorporation was confirmed through FTIR, TGA, SEM-EDX, and XRD analysis. Multiple parameters impact was examined, including OFL solution pH (2, normal distilled water (6), and 10), OFL initial concentrations (3, 5, 7, 10, 30, 50, and 70 mg/L), and time of UV exposure (30, 60, 180, and 240 min). PSf/TiO2 (5 wt%) nanocomposite membrane yielded 100% OFL removal in real wastewater and exhibited the highest degradation rate of 90% for 10 mg/L OFL concentration in synthetic wastewater. Pseudo-second-order kinetics is the model that has demonstrated the best adsorption mechanism for lower initial concentrations of OFL, while Pseudo-first-order kinetics best fits higher concentrations.

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