Photocatalytic Degradation of Chlorpyrifos and Tetracycline in Aqueous Medium Using Silver Titanate Perovskite Nanoparticles

Near-infrared (NIR) active silver titanate perovskite (AgTiO₃)-based photocatalysis is a potential method for degrading organic pollutants due to its unique structural features, compositional flexibility, and affordability. Herein, we have synthesized novel NIR-active AgTiO₃ nanoparticles with a low band gap of 0.92 eV via the hydrothermal method using Ananas comosus leave extract, which is a major agricultural waste worldwide. The produced AgTiO₃ nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy investigations, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The photocatalytic activities of the AgTiO₃ nanoparticles toward the degradation of tetracycline and chlorpyrifos under UV, visible, NIR, and solar light irradiation were carefully examined, and the photocatalytic mechanism was proposed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). AgTiO₃ nanoparticles completely degraded tetracycline and chlorpyrifos within 27 min and 21 min, respectively. The increased efficiency of AgTiO₃ nanoparticles produced by green synthesis over conventional photocatalysts points to a potential advancement avenue for water treatment systems. Furthermore, using agricultural waste like leftover pineapple leaves not only lessens the impact on the environment but also solves the issue of cost when putting these technologies into practice on a larger scale.