Efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic dye from aqueous solutions over zinc oxide incorporated nanocellulose under visible light irradiation

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Increased growth of textile industries leads to the tremendous accumulation of dyes on water and surrounding environments. This terrific increase of dyes is the major cause of water pollution which in turn adversely affects the aquatic lives and the balance of our ecosystem. Purpose of the present study is to report the synthesis and characterization of a composite namely zinc oxide incorporated nanocellulose (ZnO/NC) for effective degradation of an anionic dye, Congo red. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunaeur, Emmett and Teller (BET) surface area analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies have helped to characterize the composite. The optical properties of the samples were studied by UV-Visible spectroscopy. Feasibility of the photocatalyst in the degradation of Congo red was tested. Experimental conditions such as time of contact, concentration of the dye solution, catalyst dosage, pH were altered to find out the optimum conditions of degradation. The optimum pH was found to be 5.5 and dosage of ZnO/NC was optimized as 0.075 g for a dye concentration of 20 ppm. Equilibrium was attained at 120 min. The studies reveal that the photocatalyst ZnO/NC is efficient for the photodegradation of Congo red. Photodegradation was due to electron hole interaction between metal oxides and nanocellulose.</jats:p>

Photocatalytic degradation of Ponceau 4R by ZnAl‐layered double hydroxide nanostructures obtained with and without polyvinyl alcohol

“…If we look through the literature, in most cases, the photodecomposition rate decreases as the concentration of the contaminant increases. [41][42][43] This is explained by the difficulty of absorbing light on the catalyst because the capture of catalyst surface decreases the amount of free radicals. However, if we look at the very low concentrations of dye compound in a solution, we can say that the photodegradation rate is low although the photodegradation efficiency (DE) and percentage of decolorization (PD) is high ($99.9%).…”

The Photocatalytic Performance of Nd2O3 Doped CuO Nanoparticles with Enhanced Methylene Blue Degradation: Synthesis, Characterization and Comparative Study

“…As a result, the number of activating sites has increased, resulting in a higher reactivity. After the absorption of light, the electron has been excited, generating a hole, and has been formed due to the reaction between e − with O 2 and h + with OH − or H 2 O [ 8 ]. Many researchers have examined the degradation of various reactive dyes with visible light-assisted Fenton (H 2 O 2 /Fe 2+ or Fe 3+ ) and photo-Fenton (UV-Vis/H 2 O 2 /Fe 2+ or Fe 3+ ) reactions [ 4 ].…”

Synergistic Effect of NiO-Ga2O2-Graphene Heterostructures on Congo Red Photodegradation in Water

“…These pigments, when present in wastewater, can negatively affect the surrounding water environment, including others. These dyes can cause serious health problems for humans and animals, such as mutations and cancer [3]. It is known that the use of sunlight in the photolysis of wastewater is an energy-saving method, especially to get rid of organic dye [4].…”

“…However, the wide bandgap of metal oxides may reduce their ability to absorb visible light. Therefore, researchers are making great efforts to improve these materials with materials such as metallic or non-metallic activators [3,5]. NiO NPs powders have various applications in many industrial fields such as the production of films, magnetic materials, the production of catalysts, the production of batteries, and supercapacitors, and it is also used for the oxidation of a wide range of organic compounds [6,7].…”