Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Antibiotic and Hydrogen Production by Iron Doped Cerium(IV) Oxide

Norfloxacin (NF) is an emerging antibiotic contaminant due to its significant accumulation in the environment. Photocatalytic degradation is an effective method for removing emerging contaminant compounds in aqueous solution; however, it is not commonly applied because of the poor solubility of contaminant compounds in water. In this study, a photocatalytic degradation experiment was carried out on NF using a self-made ceria catalyst. At an initial concentration of NF of 2.5 mg L −1 , the dosage of CeO 2 was 0.1 g L −1 photocatalyst in water, and the initial pH of the NF solution was 8.0. With a reaction time of 180 min, the total removal rate of NF could reach 95%. Additionally, the studies on hydrogen production show that the maximum hydrogen production with 2% Fe–CeO 2 can reach 25,670 μ mol h −1 g −1 under close to 8 W of 365 nm, a methanol concentration of 20%, and a catalyst dose of 0.1 g L −1 photocatalyst in water. Furthermore, the intensities of photoluminescence (PL) emission peaks decreased with increased Fe-doped amounts on CeO 2 , suggesting that the irradiative recombination seemed to be weakened.