Photocatalytic Degradation of Fosfomycin and Tigecycline by Magnetically Recoverable NiFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles


Zouari M., Cetinkaya A., ÖZKAN S. A.

Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, cilt.237, sa.17, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 237 Sayı: 17
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s11270-026-09653-4
  • Dergi Adı: Water, Air, and Soil Pollution
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Artic & Antarctic Regions, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, EMBASE, Environment Index, Geobase, Greenfile, Zoological Record, Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Earth, Atmospheric, & Aquatic Science Collection (ProQuest), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Antibiotic degradation, Fosfomycin, Magnetic nanoparticles, Nickel ferrite, Photocatalysis, Solar photocatalysis, Tigecycline
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Pharmaceutical contamination of aquatic ecosystems contributes significantly to antimicrobial resistance, yet conventional wastewater treatment achieves poor removal efficiencies (< 50%) for many antibiotics. This study investigates magnetically recoverable nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄) nanoparticles for the photocatalytic degradation of tigecycline (TIG) and fosfomycin (FOS) —two structurally distinct antibiotics belonging to the glycylcycline and phosphonic acid classes, respectively. NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles, synthesized by co-precipitation and calcined at 750°C, exhibited hierarchical morphology comprising interconnected nanosheets (90–120 nm) and nanoparticles (25–30 nm) with enhanced ferrimagnetic properties (H_c = 1.14 kOe, M_r = 19.8 emu·g⁻1), enabling efficient magnetic recovery. Systematic optimization identified optimal conditions: 5.0 × 10⁻5 mol·L⁻1 antibiotic concentration, 5 mg.10 mL−1 catalyst loading, and neutral pH. Solar irradiation substantially enhanced performance compared to UV light: at 30 min, solar irradiation achieved 54.8% TIG degradation (vs. 33.7% UV, 1.6-fold enhancement) and 39.7% FOS degradation (vs. 12.1% UV, 3.3-fold enhancement). Mass spectrometry revealed distinct degradation pathways: FOS underwent sequential epoxide ring opening and C–P bond cleavage (m/z 137 → 113.8 → 99.0), while TIG followed side-chain cleavage and aromatic ring oxidation (m/z 586 → 377 → 215). These findings demonstrate the versatility of NiFe₂O₄ photocatalysis for broad-spectrum antibiotic remediation and support the practical viability of solar-driven systems for sustainable water treatment.