Investigation of the photocatalytic activities of MnO -Co₃O₄ catalysts

Different mass contributions of MnO/Co3O4 (MCO) photocatalysts were synthesized by mechanical alloying technique and characterized using various methods to confirm the successful interaction between MnO and Co3O4, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses demonstrated enhanced Mn-Co incorporation, contributing to efficient photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) under visible light. The effects of catalyst dosage, pH, reactive oxygen species, and different water matrices on photocatalytic performance were investigated. Optimal TC removal of 95% was achieved with 20 mg of 0.5MCO catalyst in acidic conditions. The study also showed that real water matrices, particularly lake water, accelerated the degradation process. Furthermore, the 0.5MCO photocatalyst demonstrated good reusability, maintaining 63% efficiency after five cycles. This research highlights the potential of MCO hybrid systems synthesized via mechanical alloying for antibiotic removal in aquatic environments.