Photodegradation of Antibiotic Using TiO2 as a Catalyst: A Review

The use of antibiotics in the community harms the environment. Due to the use of antibiotics is a risk of antibiotic resistance. Photodegradation was a method that could be used to reduce this impact. Photodegradation is a decomposition process using photon energy assistance. The photodegradation process requires a photocatalyst, which is a semiconductor material when subjected to an energy photon. This jump of electrons causes electron holes that can interact with water solvents to form radicals. TiO 2 is the most common photocatalyst that is used for the destruction of pollutants in aqueous solutions. Photochemically, TiO 2 is a stable, non-toxic, widely available, and low-cost manufacturing process. Increasing the concentration of TiO 2 catalyst will also increase the photodegradation activity of antibiotics, and the longer time of the irradiation time will increase the antibiotic degradation.