Rapid degradation of pharmaceutical pollutants using poly(1-naphthylamine) decorated BaFe2O4 nanohybrids under microwave irradiation

Abstract

Metformin, a widely used antidiabetic drug, has become a growing concern due to its persistence in the environment. It is one of the most frequently detected pharmaceuticals in wastewater and surface water because it is excreted largely unchanged by patients and is not fully removed in conventional wastewater treatment plants. The present study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of BaFe₂O₄/poly(1-naphthylamine) (PNA) nanohybrids and their application as microwave-active catalysts for the degradation of metformin. The nanohybrids were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The IR studies presence of peaks associated with PNA and BaFe₂O₄ confirmed the formation of the nanohybrid. The XRD profile of PNA/BaFe₂O₄ nanohybrids did not exhibit any significant shift in the crystalline peaks corresponding to BaFe₂O₄ but some new peaks were observed in addition to the existing BaFe₂O₄ peaks, which were attributed to the presence of PNA. SEM studies established the mixed morphology. Metformin degradation was carried out under microwave irradiation for 18 min, and the effects of catalyst dosage and drug concentration were evaluated to confirm the catalytic performance of the PNA/BaFe₂O₄ system. A maximum degradation efficiency of 89% was achieved in 18 min using 5% PNA/BaFe₂O₄ as the catalyst. Additionally, a potential degradation mechanism was proposed.