Fe 2 O 3 /diatomite materials as efficient photo-Fenton catalysts for ciprofloxacin removal

In this study, we used Fe 2 O 3 /diatomite material system toward ciprofloxacin (CIP) photo-Fenton removal in water under visible light (vis) excitation. The characterization of Fe 2 O 3 /diatomite catalysts was determined by X-ray diffraction patterns, Fourier-transform infrared analysis, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy. The photo-Fenton catalytic activity of the Fe 2 O 3 /diatomite was appraised by the removal efficiency of the CIP throughout the effect of the H 2 O 2 with various parameters such as initial pH, catalyst amount, and H 2 O 2 amount. The results indicate that 0.2 gL −1 Fe 2 O 3 /diatomite catalysts achieved the highest performance at approximately 90.03% with a 50 μL H 2 O 2 concentration. Furthermore, the Fe 2 O 3 /diatomite catalysts have high stability, with over 80% CIP removed after five cycles. This study is inspired to develop a potential material for photo-Fenton degradation of antibiotics in wastewater. Graphical Abstract