Cadmium ion is toxic to organisms
and shows persistence because
of its nondegradability. Photoreduction of the cadmium ion (Cd(II))
was studied using a bentonite-supported Zn oxide (ZnO/BT) photocatalyst
in an aqueous medium under ultraviolet light. The prepared ZnO/BT
photocatalyst was characterized by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy,
field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence spectroscopy, transmission
electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller/Barrett–Joyner–Halenda
analysis. The effects of main parameters including pH, contact time,
initial concentration of cadmium(II) ion, light intensity, temperature,
and the photocatalyst dosage were investigated for obtaining appreciate
reduction/removal efficiency. The maximum reduction/removal efficiency
of 74.8% was obtained at optimized values which were found to be at
pH 5, 6 h contact time, 6 ppm Cd(II) ion, 200 W UV light, 45 °C
temperature, and 4 g/L of ZnO/BT. Reduction/removal of Cd(II) was
significantly affected by light intensity so that the increment in
UV intensity from 0 to 200 increased the reduction/removal efficiency
from 61.2 to 76.8%. This study reports an inexpensive and environmentally
friendly photocatalyst for Cd2+ reduction in real samples
and prospective photoelectric materials.