Green synthesis of silver deposited on copper ferrite nanoparticles for the photodegradation of dye and antibiotics

Wastewater remediation is a prominent concern that should be addressed, as it is a critical problem that damages natural resources and has a negative impact on living organisms. In this study, the synthesis of copper ferrite and silver doped-copper ferrite nanoparticles named CuFe₂O₄ and Ag_XCuFe₂O₄ using Monsonia burkeana (M. burkeana) as a fuel and their photocatalytic performance against the textile pollutant, Methylene blue (MB) and the pharmaceutical pollutant, sulfisoxazole (SSX) was reported. The physical, optical, spectroscopic, and surface analyses of the as-prepared nanoparticles were characterized using various techniques. XRD confirmed the crystalline structure of Ag-CuFe₂O₄ and the incorporation of silver on the surface of the nanoferrites. FTIR analysis indicated the formation of a single-phase spinel crystalline structure with two sub-lattices (T_d and O_h). UV–Vis absorption spectra of silver-substituted copper ferrite revealed that the band gap energy (E_g) decreased with increasing crystallite size. Upon testing their degradation efficiency, at pH 12, the highest degradation of 99 % after 60 min for the 7 % AgCuFe₂O₄ was reported, and the rate of the reaction was found to be 0.09769 min⁻¹. The 7 % Ag-CuFe₂O₄ catalyst could be reused more than 4 times with a minimal loss in photostability and the e⁻ and •O^2- were the primary species responsible for MB degradation. The photocatalyst 7 %Ag-CuFe₂O_4, showed a 60 % decomposition for the antibiotic after 120 min of UV-radiation. The 7 % Ag-CuFe₂O₄ photocatalyst displayed superior magnetic recovery capability under the action of the external magnetic field. These developments in this study offer wide promising applications in water environmental remediation.