Magnetized Cow Bone-Derived Char–Alginate Hydrogel Beads for Catalytic Degradation of β-Blocker Drug Nadolol and Treatment of Real Pharmaceutical Wastewater in a Periodate-Activated Continuous-Flow Fluidized-Bed Photoreactor

Shokry, Hassan; Alhussain, Hanan; Toghan, Arafat; Masoud, Emad M.; Amer, Karim; Elkady, Marwa; Samy, Mahmoud; Gaber, Mohamed Mohamed

doi:10.3390/catal16050477

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Magnetized Cow Bone-Derived Char–Alginate Hydrogel Beads for Catalytic Degradation of β-Blocker Drug Nadolol and Treatment of Real Pharmaceutical Wastewater in a Periodate-Activated Continuous-Flow Fluidized-Bed Photoreactor

by

Hassan Shokry

¹

,

Hanan Alhussain

²,

Arafat Toghan

²,

Emad M. Masoud

^3,*,

Karim Amer

⁴,

Marwa Elkady

^5,*

,

Mahmoud Samy

⁶ and

Mohamed Mohamed Gaber

¹

Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), P.O. Box 179, New Borg El-Arab City 21934, Alexandria, Egypt

²

Chemistry Department, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11623, Saudi Arabia

³

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia

⁴

Technology Management Department, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), P.O. Box 179, New Borg El-Arab City 21934, Alexandria, Egypt

⁵

Chemical and Petrochemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), New Borg El-Arab City 21934, Alexandria, Egypt

⁶

Public Works Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Dakahlia, Egypt

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Catalysts 2026, 16(5), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16050477

Submission received: 21 April 2026 / Revised: 12 May 2026 / Accepted: 18 May 2026 / Published: 20 May 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Photocatalysts to Photoreactors: Scalable and Sustainable Technologies for Water Treatment)

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Abstract

Here, the degradation of a β-blocker drug (Nadolol (NAD)) and real pharmaceutical wastewater was achieved using magnetized cow bone waste-derived char (MCBWC)–alginate hydrogel beads via a periodate (PI) activation system in a continuous-flow fluidized-bed photoreactor. The removal of NAD by PI-based degradation systems has not been previously reported, and the degradation of real industrial wastewater in continuous-flow photoreactors remains underexplored. The fabricated beads exhibited a high surface area of 78.58 m² g⁻¹, a total pore volume of 0.19 cm³ g⁻¹, and an effective integration of all composite components. The MCBWC–alginate hydrogel beads/PI/light degradation system degraded 71.47% of NAD, which was higher than that of the sole photocatalysis and PI activation systems. Further, the optimal operating condition could achieve a NAD degradation efficiency of 97.1% and a total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency of 82.78%. Furthermore, the degradation system demonstrated the non-formation of toxic iodinated byproducts. The hydrogel beads demonstrated high stability, where the NAD degradation efficiency slightly decreased by only 2.85% across five successive experiments. Singlet oxygen and iodine-based radicals contributed to NAD degradation more than other reactive species. Bicarbonate showed the highest suppressive effect on the degradation performance, while adding 10 mg L⁻¹ of humic acid decreased the degradation efficiency to 85.58%. The degradation system could further degrade other pharmaceuticals (e.g., ibuprofen, paracetamol, carbamazepine, tetracycline) and real pharmaceutical wastewater, attaining 78.37% degradation efficiency of NAD and 44.25% TOC mineralization. This study presents a stable, effective, and continuous degradation system that can be employed in real-world industrial wastewater treatment applications.

Keywords: char; catalytic degradation; fluidized-bed photoreactor; magnetized beads; nadolol; periodate activation; real wastewater

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MDPI and ACS Style

Shokry, H.; Alhussain, H.; Toghan, A.; Masoud, E.M.; Amer, K.; Elkady, M.; Samy, M.; Gaber, M.M. Magnetized Cow Bone-Derived Char–Alginate Hydrogel Beads for Catalytic Degradation of β-Blocker Drug Nadolol and Treatment of Real Pharmaceutical Wastewater in a Periodate-Activated Continuous-Flow Fluidized-Bed Photoreactor. Catalysts 2026, 16, 477. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16050477

AMA Style

Shokry H, Alhussain H, Toghan A, Masoud EM, Amer K, Elkady M, Samy M, Gaber MM. Magnetized Cow Bone-Derived Char–Alginate Hydrogel Beads for Catalytic Degradation of β-Blocker Drug Nadolol and Treatment of Real Pharmaceutical Wastewater in a Periodate-Activated Continuous-Flow Fluidized-Bed Photoreactor. Catalysts. 2026; 16(5):477. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16050477

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shokry, Hassan, Hanan Alhussain, Arafat Toghan, Emad M. Masoud, Karim Amer, Marwa Elkady, Mahmoud Samy, and Mohamed Mohamed Gaber. 2026. "Magnetized Cow Bone-Derived Char–Alginate Hydrogel Beads for Catalytic Degradation of β-Blocker Drug Nadolol and Treatment of Real Pharmaceutical Wastewater in a Periodate-Activated Continuous-Flow Fluidized-Bed Photoreactor" Catalysts 16, no. 5: 477. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16050477

APA Style

Shokry, H., Alhussain, H., Toghan, A., Masoud, E. M., Amer, K., Elkady, M., Samy, M., & Gaber, M. M. (2026). Magnetized Cow Bone-Derived Char–Alginate Hydrogel Beads for Catalytic Degradation of β-Blocker Drug Nadolol and Treatment of Real Pharmaceutical Wastewater in a Periodate-Activated Continuous-Flow Fluidized-Bed Photoreactor. Catalysts, 16(5), 477. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16050477

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Magnetized Cow Bone-Derived Char–Alginate Hydrogel Beads for Catalytic Degradation of β-Blocker Drug Nadolol and Treatment of Real Pharmaceutical Wastewater in a Periodate-Activated Continuous-Flow Fluidized-Bed Photoreactor

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