Application of phosphorus-doped in the titanium niobium oxide in the photocatalytic removal of atenolol

In this study, photodegradation of atenolol (AtL) was investigated using a doped photocatalyst containing titanium niobium oxide and phosphorus oxide (TNO@P 2 O 5 ). TNO@P 2 O 5 was synthesized by biosynthesis/hydrothermal/impregnation method, characterized, and an experimental design was applied to the AtL photodegradation. The characterization tests confirmed the synthesis with a particle size of 21 nm. The results of heterogeneous photocatalysis that doping the photocatalyst with P 2 O 5 achieved approximately 84 % pollutant removal. The ideal condition was [AtL] = 123 mg L −1 , [TNO@P 2 O 5 ] = 1.20 g L −1 , pH ≈ 10, and T = 298.15 K with a photodegradation of AtL of 87.5 % and the apparent rate of the pseudo-first-order reaction of 0.021 min −1 . The photocatalyst’s reusability after 5 cycles was 72 %, with degradation attributed to the high generation of oxidative radicals ( ● OH / O 2 ● ) by (e - /h + ) within the structure. The thermodynamic tests demonstrated a non-spontaneous process with an 81.13 kJ mol −1 . TNO@P 2 O 5 is a promising material for the photodegradation of AtL.