Graphitic Carbon Nitride/Copper-Iron Oxide Composite for Effective Fenton Degradation of Ciprofloxacin at Near-Neutral pH

In this work, graphitic carbon nitride/copper-iron oxide (CN@CIO) composites were prepared via in-situ thermal condensation of dicyandiamide onto CIO. The activity of the as-prepared catalyst to degrade ciprofloxacin (CIP) was investigated systematically in the dark Fenton reaction. With the increase in the copper content in the CN@CIO composites, the CIP removal efficiency gradually improved and reached a maximum with CN@CIO4, in which the molar loading ratio of Cu to Fe was 0.242. Additionally, the effects of the experimental conditions on CIP oxidation were studied by altering several key reaction parameters, including the catalyst amount, reaction temperature, and initial concentrations of CIP and H₂O₂. Under the optimum condition, almost complete degradation was achieved within 1 h. It was demonstrated that CIP oxidation by CN@CIO follows the pseudo second-order reaction model. Overall, the fabricated CN@CIO composite holds great potential for refractory organic removal and deserves in-depth investigation.