Ibuprofen Photodegradation Promoted by ZnO and TiO2-P25 Nanoparticles: A Comprehensive Kinetic, Reaction Mechanisms, and Thermodynamic Investigation

Photocatalytic activity, reaction kinetics, modeling, and thermodynamics of commercial TiO2-P25 and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) for ibuprofen (IBU) photodegradation were investigated. Photodegradation experiments were performed in a batch reactor under UV irradiation. The photodegradation performances of TiO2-P25 and ZnO NPs were further studied and modeled under different operation conditions, by varying the reaction temperature, catalyst bulk density, and the initial concentration of the IBU solution. The descriptive kinetic models for the experimental data were tested, through the estimated kinetic parameters, together with the statistical information, revealing that the reaction rate in the case of TiO2-P25 is of first order while the ZnO NPs follow second-order kinetics with respect to IBU. The photodegradation mechanisms for both TiO2-P25 and ZnO NPs were determined to be Langmuir-Hinshelwood and Eley-Rideal, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters were assessed, particularly, changes in Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy indicating the efficient photodegradation performance of these NPs.