The Photocatalytic Rate of ZnO Supported Onto A Natural Zeolite Nanoparticles In The Photodegradation of An Aromatic Amine

Abstract

The ZnO supported on the ball-mill prepared clinoptilolite nanoparticles (CNPs) was prepared via an ion-exchange process followed by the calcination process. The ZnO-CNP catalyst was briefly characterized by XRD, FTIR, and DRS techniques. The pHpzc value for the various ZnO-CNPs was about 7.1 that no changed with the ZnO loading. By applying the Scherrer equation on the XRD results, a nano-dimension was obtained for the catalyst. Band gap energy of the ZnO-CNP samples were estimated by applying the Kubelka-Munk equation on the DRS reflectance spectra. The supported ZnO-CNP sample was then used in the photodegradation of 2,4-dichloroaniline (DCA).The effects of the most important key operating factors on the degradation efficiency was kinetically studied by applying the Hinshelwood equation on the results. The ZnO-CNP catalyst with 2 w% ZnO showed the best photocatalytic rate in the optimal conditions of 0.75 g/L, CDCA: 15 ppm, and the initial pH: 5.8. Finally, HPLC analysis of the blank and the photodegraded DCA solutions at 180 and 300 min confirmed 74 and 87% of DCA molecules were degraded during these times.