Photocatalytic degradation of paracetamol by semiconductor oxides under UV and sunlight illumination.

In this study, photocatalytic degradation of paracetamol (acetaminophen), an analgesic and antipyretic drug, was investigated in using semiconductors under UV-B and sunlight irradiation. Semiconductor materials, Bi2O3, ZnO, TiO2, and ZrO2, were prepared using simple sol-gel, coprecipitation, and microwave synthesis methods. These photocatalyts were characterized by various spectroscopic and other techniques. As a result of the reactions, 25 ppm paracetamol with Bi2O3 and ZnO photocatalyst, total degradation was achieved with UV-B irradiation in 90 min. The results of photocatalytic activities showed that the highest degradation rate was obtained with the Bi2O3 photocatalyst. In the light of all findings, the nanorod-shaped Bi2O3 semiconductor which has a low band gap energy and high quantum efficiency exhibited significant effect on the activity despite of its low surface area.