Enhancing photocatalytic tetracycline degradation through the fabrication of high surface area CeO₂ from a cerium-organic framework

Author(s)

Borges Serra, Ayla Roberta ; de Sousa, Gabriel Castro ; Gomes, Viviane de Carvalho ; de Sousa Filho, Idio Alves ; Grisolia, Cesar Koppe ; Zhao, Baiwen ; Walton, Richard I. ; Serra, Osvaldo Antonio

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: RSC ADVANCES; v. 14, n. 25, p. 12-pg., 2024-05-28.

Abstract

Water pollution is a global environmental issue, and the presence of pharmaceutical compounds, such as tetracyclines (TCs), in aquatic ecosystems has raised growing concerns due to the potential risks to both the environment and human health. A high surface area CeO2 was prepared via atmospheric thermal treatment of a metal-organic framework of cerium and benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate. The effects of calcination temperature on the morphology, structure, light absorption properties and tetracycline removal efficiency were studied. The best activity of the photocatalysts could be achieved when the heat treatment temperature is 300 degrees C, which enhances the photocatalytic degradation performance towards tetracycline under visible light. The resulting CeO2 particles have high capacity for adsorbing TCs from aqueous solution: 90 mg g(-1) for 60 mg L-1 TCs. As a result, 98% of the initial TC can be removed under simulated sunlight irradiation. The cooperation of moderate defect concentration and disordered structure showed tetracycline removal activity about 10 times higher than the initial Ce-MOF. An embryotoxicity assessment on zebrafish revealed that treatment with CeO2 particles significantly decreased the toxicity of TC solutions. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 21/14904-5 - CO2 hydrogenation over nanoparticles obtained from post modification MOF's decomposition
• Grantee: Ayla Roberta Borges da Silva Galaço
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 18/07514-3 - Rare earths: catalysts, UV filters, recovery and MOFS/LOFS: Synthetic Procedures and potential aplications.
• Grantee: Osvaldo Antonio Serra
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants