Photocatalytic degradation of paracetamol by green-synthesized TiO ₂ nanoparticles using red spinach ( Amaranthus Tricolor L. )

Paracetamol is one of the widely used drugs that poses a potential for chronic health effects and a threat to the ecosystem. A photocatalyst such as TiO2 can be used as a solution to eliminate traces of paracetamol in the wastewater through photocatalytic degradation. This study aims to investigate the photocatalysis efficiency of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by green synthesis using red spinach (Amaranthus Tricolor L.) extract. The optimum volume ratio of TTIP to red spinach extract 1:3 was used for the photodegradation of paracetamol. The results revealed that calcined TiO2 NPs possess favorable characteristics for photocatalysis, including nanoscale crystallite size, moderate lattice strain, high SSA, sharper UV edge, wider band gap, and smaller particle size, emphasizing the critical role of the calcination process. The paracetamol photodegradation showed that TiO2 had an efficiency of 62.18% after 300 min of UV-B irradiation. This result suggests that green-synthesized calcinated TiO2 has great potential to be developed as a photocatalyst agent for pharmaceutical waste.