Design and Sustainable Synthesis of rGO@TiO 2 as Visible Light Photo‐Catalyst for Decontamination of Norfloxacin from Discharge Waters

Abstract Here, we have reported the synthesis of rGO modified with TiO 2 at various proportions, along with its scale‐up using a facile and greener probe sonication method. The rGO@TiO 2 nanocomposite was characterized structurally and morphologically and used as an efficient heterogeneous photocatalyst for the degradation of generic norfloxacin (NOR) from wastewater. The photosensitization of rGO@TiO 2 exhibited a shift in the absorption edge towards the visible region and separation of the induced charge carriers. Optimized results showed rGO@TiO 2 (compositional ratio‐2:1 w/w, dose‐1 mg mL −1 , and pH‐8) achieved the highest degradation with degradation efficiency (Qe) ∼97% within 90 mins of irradiation. Scavenging experiments confirmed the active role of O 2 •‐ for the degradation, which leads to the 62% conversion of initial organic carbon to harmless CO 2 calculated using a TOC analyzer. The photodegradation kinetics of NOR fits well with pseudo‐1 st ‐order kinetics and follows the Langmuir‐Hinshelwood mechanism(R 2 ∼ 0.99). The comparative assessment for the real‐time utility of rGO@TiO 2 was performed using a real sample of generic NOR and river/pond water that showed similar Qe ∼96% with catalyst reusability up to 5 cycles. Overall, the findings indicate the development of a sustainable and cost‐effective photocatalyst, rGO@TiO 2 , that can be intended for decontamination of pharmaceutical pollutants from contaminated waters.