Detoxification of Trimethoprim Antibiotic Using NiFe₂O₄@MoO₃ Magnetic Nanocomposites Phyto-synthesized with Green Route: Experimental and RSM Modeling

Pharmaceutical pollutants are among the most important issues in human life. The reason for investigating and controlling environmental pollution is the entry of these pollutants into the food cycle and drug resistance, which causes many environmental risks. In this study, the rate of photocatalytic degradation of TMP, a model organic pollutant, was investigated using NiFe₂O₄@MoO₃ nanocomposites. The characteristics of the nanocomposites were identified using XRD, FESEM, EDX, and VSM techniques. This study aimed to explore the effects of different factors on the photocatalytic removal of the trimethoprim antibiotic (TMP) using a central composite design (CCD) and response surface method (RSM). Significant variables were identified, including initial pH (3–9), catalyst dose (5–100 mg/L), pollutant concentration (20–100 mg/L), and contact time (0–120 min), and 30 experiments were conducted to optimize the process. Statistical analysis based on analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the following factors influenced the response. In addition, the results showed that the efficiency of the photocatalytic process increased with an increase in catalyst and residence time, and the efficiency of the photocatalytic process increased with an increase in pH up to 6.3. RSM results revealed the best experimental conditions for TMP degradation under UV light. They showed that the initial pollutant concentration and pH had a greater impact on the degradation process than did the catalyst dose and retention time. This suggests that optimizing operational factors can significantly improve the performance of photocatalytic processes for removing antibiotics such as trimethoprim.