Preparation of CuFe 2 O 4 /montmorillonite nanocomposite and explaining its performance in the sonophotocatalytic degradation process for ciprofloxacin

In the current study, a magnetic copper ferrite/montmorillonite (CuFe 2 O 4 /MMT) nanocomposite was successfully fabricated by a simple sol-gel combustion method which was used as a catalyst for ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation in the sonophotocatalytic degradation process. The characterization properties were identified using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunner-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Results showed that the CIP degradation rate of the sonophotocatalytic method was higher than other methods like photocatalytic and sonocatalytic. Mineralization and biodegradability of CIP were determined by the TOC test and BOD 5 /COD ratio. The results showed that the mineralization rate of CIP rose to 92%, and biodegradability rose from 0.163 to 0.697 at the end of the sonophotocatalytic process. Rate of recyclability and reusability of the catalyst was also investigated in the 8 cycles, but no significant reduction in the removal rate was noted. Experiments using various scavengers revealed that SO 4 •- and • OH were the main radicals in the sonophotocatalytic degradation of CIP. In addition, the bioassay method using Daphnia magna was used to test toxicity. Results showed that the toxicity of the tested solutions was significantly reduced after sonophotocatalytic degradation. In conclusion, the combined sonophotocatalytic system with CuFe 2 O 4 /MMT catalyst could be a new and promising approach as a pretreatment technique to facilitate the biological treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater.