Developing an effective, reusable photocatalyst that combines high photocatalytic efficiency with easy separation could significantly enhance the removal of organic pollutants. This study developed reusable photocatalysts by integrating TiO₂ with biomass-derived activated carbon (AC) and magnetite (Fe3O4) to enhance the removal of methylene blue (MB), acetaminophen (ACT), and their mixtures. Advanced microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, including FE-SEM, EDX, TEM, FTIR, XRD, and BET, were applied to identify the physicochemical properties of the composites. Both TiO2/AC-10% (436 m2/g) and TiO2/AC/Fe3O4 (494 m2/g) exhibited high surface areas, suggesting a significant abundance of active sites for pollutant degradation. Optimization of operational parameters, including pollutant concentration, irradiation time, and composite dosage, was conducted via response surface methodology (RSM) with a Box-Behnken design (BBD), using TiO2/AC-10%. Under optimized conditions, MB and ACT removal reached 98.37% and 87.28%, respectively within 120 min. The TiO2/AC/Fe3O4 composite maintained high efficiency over five reuse cycles. These waste-derived, magnetically separable photocatalysts offer a sustainable, efficient solution for organic pollutant removal in wastewater treatment.
Kanakaraju et al. (2025) studied this question.