Upcycling of waste EPS beads to immobilized codoped TiO photocatalysts for ciprofloxacin degradation and E. coli disinfection under sunlight.

The emerging global problem of antimicrobial resistance needs immediate attention. In this regard, this work demonstrates the use of expanded polystyrene waste in the synthesis of immobilized photocatalytic films for the treatment of antibiotics as well as for bacterial disinfection. A boron-cerium codoped TiO catalyst (of specific composition: BCeTiO) was immobilized in an expanded polystyrene (EPS) film prepared from waste EPS beads.

Enhanced disinfection of E. faecalis and levofloxacin antibiotic degradation using tridoped B-Ce-Ag TiO photocatalysts synthesized by ecofriendly citrate EDTA complexing method.

Since its use for photochemical water splitting reported first in 1972, TiO is one of the most extensively studied photocatalysts for a diverse range of applications. Monodoping or codoping of the catalyst is a proven strategy to enhance the functionality of TiO under solar or visible light. However, the use of three or more dopants in the development of more efficient and visible light active photocatalysts has not been investigated widely, especially for microbial disinfection.