Photocatalytic degradation of pefloxacin in water by modified nano-zinc oxide

Nanocrystalline La-doped ZnO powders were synthesized by homogeneous precipitation method and characterized by various sophisticated techniques such as XRD, UV-vis DRS and SEM. Experimental results show that the La-doped ZnO could make ZnO particle size decrease and make specific surface area large, so the photocatalytic activity of La-doped ZnO was increased compared with pure ZnO. The optimal conditions for maximum efficiency of pefloxacin degradation under 6 h UV irradiation were found as 1 g/L dosage of La-doped ZnO nanocomposite, pefloxacin concentration of 15 mg/L, and pH = 7.0. Under optimal operating conditions, degradation efficiency was reached to 93%.