Photodegradation of Carbol Fuchsin Dye Using an Fe<sub>2−x</sub>Cu<sub>x</sub>Zr<sub>2−x</sub>W<sub>x</sub>O<sub>7</sub> Photocatalyst under Visible-Light Irradiation

Fe<sub>2−x</sub>Cu<sub>x</sub>Zr<sub>2−x</sub>W<sub>x</sub>O<sub>7</sub> (x: 0, 0.05, 0.015) nanoparticles were synthesized following the Pechini method and characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM),...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rund Abu-Zurayk, Aya Khalaf, Hussien A. Abbas, Rabab A. Nasr, Tarek S. Jamil, Abeer Al Bawab
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-12-01
Series:Catalysts
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/11/12/1473
Description
Summary:Fe<sub>2−x</sub>Cu<sub>x</sub>Zr<sub>2−x</sub>W<sub>x</sub>O<sub>7</sub> (x: 0, 0.05, 0.015) nanoparticles were synthesized following the Pechini method and characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) measurements to be used as photocatalysts in colored water remediation. All of the prepared materials were crystallized in a cubic fluorite phase as the major phase. The band gap was reduced upon doping with W<sup>6+</sup> and Cu<sup>2+</sup> from 1.96 eV to 1.47 eV for Fe<sub>1.85</sub>Cu<sub>0</sub>.<sub>15</sub>Zr<sub>1.85</sub>W<sub>0.15</sub>O<sub>7</sub>. Carbol fuchsin (CF) dye was used to determine the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the prepared catalysts. Degradation efficiency was directly proportional to the dopant’s concentration. Complete removal of 20 mg/L CF was achieved under optimal conditions (pH 9, and catalyst loading of 1.5 g/L) using Fe<sub>1.85</sub>Cu<sub>0.15</sub>Zr<sub>1.85</sub>W<sub>0.15</sub>O<sub>7</sub>. The degradation rate followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The reusability for photocatalysts was tested five times, decreasing its efficiency by 4% after the fifth cycle, which indicates that the prepared Fe<sub>1.85</sub>Cu<sub>0.15</sub>Zr<sub>1.85</sub>W<sub>0.15</sub>O<sub>7</sub> photocatalyst is a promising novel photocatalyst due to its superior efficiency in dye photodegradation.
ISSN:2073-4344