Surface Innovations Fabrication of Mn 2+ –Zr 4+ @MgFe 12 O 19 for photocatalytic degradation of enrofloxacin antibiotic Shahid Iqbal PhD Research Assistant, Institute of Chemistry, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan (Orcid:0009-0005-9657-0685) Qasim Raza MPhil Research Assistant, Institute of Chemistry, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan; Graduate School of Flexible and Printable Electronics, LANL-JBNU Engineering Institute-Korea, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea (Orcid:0000-0001-5792-7016) Eman Aldosari PhD Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Orcid:0009-0001-5187-7967) Mohammad Ashraf Hossain MPhil Research Assistant, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China (Orcid:0009-0002-6529-5842) Rashid Iqbal PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan; Department of Life Sciences, Western Caspian University, Baku, Azerbaijan (Orcid:00000-0003-0473-889X) Muhammad Jamshaid PhD Research Assistant, Institute of Chemistry, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan (Orcid:0000-0002-4842-6751) (corresponding author: jimmichemist@gmail.com) Antibiotic contamination in water bodies has become a critical environmental issue due to its persistence, bioaccumula- tion, and resistance to conventional wastewater treatment methods. This study reports the synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic application of Mn 2+ –Zr 4+ -doped magnesium (Mg) M-type hexaferrites for degrading enrofloxacin (ENF) antibiotic in veterinary wastewater. Six samples with varying doping concentrations (x = 0.00–0.1, y = 0.00–1.00) were synthesized using the sol–gel auto-combustion method. Comprehensive structural, morphological, and optical analyses confirmed successful incorporation of manganese and zirconium ions into the M-type magnesium hexaferrite matrix. The crystal sizes of the synthesized samples decreased from 84.2 to 75.9 nm, while the unit cell volume increased from 685.45 to 701.85 A ˚ 3 with increasing doping concentrations. The bandgap energy was reduced from 2.02 to 1.79 eV. The optimized composition (Mg 0.92 Zr 0.08 Fe 11.2 Mn 0.8 O 19 ) demonstrated the highest degradation efficiency by way of achieving 95.5% ENF removal with a rate constant of 0.036 min -1 in only 80 min. These results highlight the re- markable potential of Mn 2+ –Zr 4+ -doped magnesium M-type hexaferrites as efficient and sustainable photocatalysts for environmental remediation applications. Keywords: annealing/band gap engineering/degradation/environmental impact/improved catalysts/M-type magnesium hexaferrites/ photocatalyst Notation C t /C 0 concentration ratio Hc coercivity K rate constant Mr remanence Mr/Ms squareness ratio Ms saturation magnetization P/P 0 relative pressure R 2 coefficient of determination 1. Introduction The increasing use of antibiotics (penicillin, cephalosporins, tetracy- clines, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, moxifloxacin, and enrofloxa- cin (ENF)) in healthcare, livestock, and aquaculture has resulted in their widespread presence in natural water bodies. 1 Antibiotics are designed to be biologically active even at low concentrations, making them persistent pollutants. 2 Their accumulation in wastewater not only poses challenges for conventional water treatment methods but also leads to severe environmental and public health concerns. 3 ENF is a third-generation synthetic fluoroquinolone, which is widely used to treat respiratory and digestive infections in animals. 4 Almost half of the portion of the ENF administered dose is excreted in urine or feces. 5 The prolonged accumulation of ENF in water sources and foods can lead to antibiotic resistance in humans. 6 In addition, antibi- otics, including ENF, disrupt the microbial balance in aquatic ecosys- tems, which affects biodiversity and the health of aquatic species. 7 Chronic exposure to even low concentrations of antibiotics can lead to bioaccumulation and toxicity in aquatic organisms, potentially entering the food chain and affecting human health. 8 Hence, there is an urgent need to develop efficient, stable, and cost-effective methods for the removal of ENF antibiotic from veterinary wastewater. Efforts to mitigate antibiotic pollution have focused on advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), which are effective in breaking down complex organic pollutants. 9 Among AOPs, photodegradation under visible light has emerged as a sustainable and efficient method due to its ability to utilize solar energy. The development of high-performance photocatalysts that can operate efficiently under sunlight is critical for large-scale applications. 10 Several photocatalysts have been extensively studied for the pho- todegradation of antibiotics in wastewater. The catalysts, such as 1 Cite this article Iqbal S, Raza Q, Aldosari E et al. Fabrication of Mn 2+ –Zr 4+ @MgFe12O19 for photocatalytic degradation of enrofloxacin antibiotic. Surface Innovations https://doi.org/10.1680/jsuin.25.00006 Research Article Paper 2500006 Received 28/01/2025; Accepted 03/06/2025 Emerald Publishing Limited: All rights reserved