facile fabrication of pure copper bismuth oxide nanoparticle photocatalyst: ciprofloxacin-hcl removal from polluted aqueous solution

The discharge of pharmaceutical contaminants into aquatic environments has become a critical global concern, particularly due to the persistence and ecotoxicity of antibiotics that are not effectively eliminated by conventional water treatment systems. in this work, a copper bismuth oxide nanophotocatalyst was synthesized through a one-pot microwave-assisted combustion process using urea as an eco-friendly fuel and applied for the solar-driven degradation of ciprofloxacin (cip) from aqueous solutions. structural characterization using xrd confirmed the formation of single-phase tetragonal copper bismuth oxide, while fesem analysis revealed a highly porous, generated by rapid gas evolution during combustion. the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized catalyst was evaluated under simulated solar irradiation, where 2 g/l of copper bismuth oxide achieved 53.4% removal of ciprofloxacin within 240 min (60 min dark + 180 min light).