Clay supported bimetallic Fe/Ni nanoparticles used for reductive degradation of amoxicillin in aqueous solution: Characterization and kinetics

In this study, bentonite-supported Fe/Ni (B-Fe/Ni) nanoparticles were used to degrade amoxicillin (AMX) in aqueous solution due to their increased rate of degradation. More than 94% of AMX was removed using B-Fe/Ni, while only 84% was removed by Fe/Ni due to bentonite as the material to reduce the aggregation of Fe/Ni nanoparticles, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and FTIR spectral confirmed the presence of Fe (II) and Fe (III) in the B-Fe/Ni after reaction with AMX. Furthermore, the removal of AMX was consistent with pseudo first-order reaction kinetics. The reuse and stability of B-Fe/Ni in degradation of AMX show that it is a potential nanomaterial for the environmental remediation. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.