Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 microcrystals as photocatalysts for acid red 27 food dye and tetracycline drug degradation

The widespread application of azo dyes in the textile and pharmaceutical industries pose a significant threat to environment and health concerns. Addressing these issues require an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable approach to mitigate water pollution. In this study, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) was synthesized via a simple, in-situ, solvo-thermal method and evaluated its photocatalytic efficiency in degrading Acid Red 27 (AR27) dye and tetracycline (TC) drug. The synthesized ZIF-8 was comprehensively characterized using various techniques, including SEM, TEM, XPS, FT-IR, XRD, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Photocatalytic degradation experiments demonstrated that ZIF-8 exhibited remarkable degradation efficiencies of 84.1 % for AR27 and 96.48 % for TC. Kinetic analysis revealed that the degradation of both dye and antibiotic followed a pseudo-first-order reaction model. Hence, ZIF-8 could be a competent photocatalyst for the removal of variety of industrial effluents i.e. organic dyes and pharmaceutical drugs.