Photoelectrochemical Degradation of Pharmaceutical Active Compounds in Multicomponent Solutions with an Sb-Doped SnO2 Ceramic Anode Coated with BiPO4

A ceramic anode made of Sb-doped SnO2 and coated with a photoactive BiPO4 layer was tested for the (photo)electrochemical oxidation of three commonly used pharmaceuticals: atenolol, ibuprofen, and norfloxacin. Light-pulsed chronoamperometry showed that the photoanode responded immediately to illumination. The application of light and current enhanced degradation for all compounds when treated separately. Ibuprofen and nor-floxacin exhibited higher degradation than mineralization, which demonstrates their per-sistent nature. Electric current was essential to achieve efficient degradation and mineral-ization, demonstrating the effectiveness of the electrochemical approach. For multicom-ponent mixtures, applying light resulted in higher mineralization compared to dark con-ditions at low operation currents (0.2 A). At higher currents (0.4–0.8 A), the contribution of light was partially masked by the enhanced electrochemical production of hydroxyl radi-cals. Analysis of individual compounds within the mixture revealed significant im-provements in degradation under light exposure. Overall, these results demonstrate the potential of the Sb-doped SnO2 ceramic photoanode as a cost-effective and promising al-ternative to commercial materials for treating pharmaceutical contaminants.