Photo-catalytıc degradatıon of paracetamol using a novel photocatalyst Zr–WO₃ doped charcoal

The aim of this study is the degradation of paracetamol (PAM) which is widely used as an analgesic and an anti-inflammatory drug in the pharmaceutical sector by advanced oxidation processes as photocatalysis, photolysis and Like photo-Fenton processes. The ZrWC (Zr–WO₃@ charcoal) material was elaborated to be characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) theory, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra before its application as photocatalyst in the Paracetamol (PAM) removal. The photodegradation efficiency of PAM was studied by varying the ZrWC amount, the pH value and the PAM concentration. The evolution of PAM concentration was measured by UV–visible spectrophotometer and hight performance liquid chromatography, while the mineralization percentage was monitored by the determination of chemical oxygen demand. The characterization results show that the material has meso-porous structure with the specific surface area of 18.3877 m²/g, and an indirect band gap of 3.9 eV. The efficiency Paracetamol removal increased to 73% whereas 60% of COD is removed after 120 min of irradiation. The optimum conditions determined at room temperature were [PAM] = 20 mg/L, [photocatalyst] = 1 g/L and pH 6.