Photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac sodium in aqueous solution using N, S, and C-doped ZnO

摘要

In this investigation photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac sodium as drug pollutants was studied. N, S, and C-doped ZnO particles were supported from thiourea and zinc sulfate via a precipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) together with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The degradation was studied under different conditions including concentrations of catalyst and drug, initial pH value, and presence of electron acceptor. The results showed that photocatalytic degradation of drug was strongly influenced by these parameters. Therefore, the best conditions for the photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac sodium were obtained. The optimum concentrations of N, S, C-doped ZnO was found to be 0.44 g L-1. The photodegradation efficiency of the drug decreased with an increase in its initial concentration of diclofenac sodium. In acidic solutions, photocatalytic degradation efficiency was higher than in alkaline solutions. The photodegradation efficiency of diclofenac sodium was accelerated by addition of a small amount of K2S2O8 and H2O2.