The application of photocatalytic degradation process in the removal of methyl orange dye using magnetic nanocomposite from aqueous solutions

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

1 Sistan and Baluchestan

2 University of Birjand

Abstract

This research focuses on the removal of the dye methyl orange from aqueous solutions, a common environmental pollutant found in textile and dyeing industries. For this purpose, the efficiency of the photocatalytic degradation process using Fe2O3@ZnO core-shell nanocomposite was investigated in order to remove dye pollutant methyl orange from aqueous solutions using the response surface method (RSM) in the central composite design (CCD). Scanning electron microscopic (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray energy diffraction (EDX) analyzes were used to investigate the structural characteristics of the synthesized nanocomposite. Then, in order to investigate the efficiency of the synthesized nano photocatalyst in the process of photocatalytic degradation, the effect of important functional variables such as photocatalyst dose, pH, temperature and time were investigated to optimize the maximum dye removal. Based on the statistical results, the optimal efficiency of dye removal was 49.80% with a catalyst dose of 3 g/L, pH = 4, temperature 44.12 °C and irradiation time 148.34 min. Among the investigated parameters, temperature and pH had a significant effect on the photocatalytic degradation process. Also, the recovery of Fe2O3@ZnO photocatalyst during five consecutive cycles showed that the synthesized nanocomposite has good recovery capability for removing methyl orange from aqueous solutions. The experimental results indicate that the use of Fe2O3@ZnO nanoparticles has a high efficiency in removing dye pollutants and can also be an ideal method for treating dye-polluted wastewater, due to their excellent selective absorption and good recovery.

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