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<p>Organic pollutants, a primary source of water contamination, have gained global attention because of their toxic effects on plants and humans. Semiconductor-based photocatalysis is a promising green technology for water remediation against such persistent and non-biodegradable organic pollutants. In this research, zinc oxide photocatalysts doped with silver were synthesized by a co-precipitation technique and are used to degrade selected organic pollutants, including ciprofloxacin, methyl orange, and 2,4-dinitrophenol, under sunlight irradiation. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited good physicochemical stability, and the optimized 3% Ag: ZnO photocatalyst achieved maximum photodegradation efficiencies of 65% within 70&#xa0;min for ciprofloxacin, 58% within 90&#xa0;min for methyl orange, and 38% within 120&#xa0;min for 2,4-dinitrophenol. The degradation efficiency followed the trend 3%Ag: ZnO &gt; 5%Ag: ZnO &gt; 1%Ag: ZnO &gt; pure ZnO; highlighting the contribution of Ag to electron trapping and charge separation up to the optimal extent by increasing reactive oxygen species generation. Moreover, the degradation process followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic model (R<sup>2</sup> values close to 1). The optimized catalyst also showed favorable reusability during three consecutive cycles without a significant loss in activity; only 4.35%, 5.46%, and 6.20% photodegradation efficiency loss against ciprofloxacin, methyl orange, and 2,4-DNP, respectively. These findings indicate that the developed catalyst can effectively remove emerging organic pollutants from aqueous systems and holds potential for scale-up in low-cost sunlight-assisted wastewater treatment systems. This approach offers an environmentally sustainable route to reduce water pollution and promote reuse for non-potable purposes.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>

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Silver-decorated ZnO nanorods for sunlight-assisted photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin, methyl orange, and 2,4-dinitrophenol in water

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月21日

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  • Iqra Mazhar,
  • Muhammad Afzaal,
  • Muhammad Altaf,
  • Manzar Sohail,
  • Raja Shahid Ashraf,
  • Abdul-Sattar Nizami

摘要

Organic pollutants, a primary source of water contamination, have gained global attention because of their toxic effects on plants and humans. Semiconductor-based photocatalysis is a promising green technology for water remediation against such persistent and non-biodegradable organic pollutants. In this research, zinc oxide photocatalysts doped with silver were synthesized by a co-precipitation technique and are used to degrade selected organic pollutants, including ciprofloxacin, methyl orange, and 2,4-dinitrophenol, under sunlight irradiation. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited good physicochemical stability, and the optimized 3% Ag: ZnO photocatalyst achieved maximum photodegradation efficiencies of 65% within 70 min for ciprofloxacin, 58% within 90 min for methyl orange, and 38% within 120 min for 2,4-dinitrophenol. The degradation efficiency followed the trend 3%Ag: ZnO > 5%Ag: ZnO > 1%Ag: ZnO > pure ZnO; highlighting the contribution of Ag to electron trapping and charge separation up to the optimal extent by increasing reactive oxygen species generation. Moreover, the degradation process followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic model (R2 values close to 1). The optimized catalyst also showed favorable reusability during three consecutive cycles without a significant loss in activity; only 4.35%, 5.46%, and 6.20% photodegradation efficiency loss against ciprofloxacin, methyl orange, and 2,4-DNP, respectively. These findings indicate that the developed catalyst can effectively remove emerging organic pollutants from aqueous systems and holds potential for scale-up in low-cost sunlight-assisted wastewater treatment systems. This approach offers an environmentally sustainable route to reduce water pollution and promote reuse for non-potable purposes.

Graphical abstract