Acetaminophen (AP) is a widely used antipyretic analgesic belonging to the class of PPCPs, which is difficult to be effectively degraded by traditional water treatment processes. However, photocatalytic technology may be an effective approach. Herein, B-doped TiO2 photocatalytic materials were synthesized by sol-gel method, calcinated at 600℃ for 2 h, investigated by XRD, TEM, XPS, and other characterization methods. The photocatalytic efficiency and factors affecting the photocatalytic activity were assessed by degradation of AP under 365 nm UV light. Compared with undoped TiO2, 4%B-TiO2 nanopowder has smaller grain size, higher porosity, and lower bandgap energy of 3.11 eV. Scavenging experiments and ESR results show that •OH is the principal active species. Hence, the degradation efficiency of AP is as high as 98.8% in 30 min when adopting 10-mg/L AP initial concentration and 1-g/L 4%B-TiO2 loading, owing to efficient •OH generated by B-TiO2.
Keywords: Acetaminophen; B-doped TiO2; Hydroxyl radicals; Photocatalytic degradation.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.