Enhanced solar-driven photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes using sono-dispersed mesoporous MgAl2O4 over carbon based materials

Abstract

BackgroundThe presence of organic dyes in water poses serious environmental and health concerns, necessitating effective remediation strategies. MethodThis research investigates the synthesis of mesoporous MgAl2O4-carbon active nanocomposites, MAS-CA(10) and MAS-C3N4(10), via a two-step method: (1) MAS prepared by solution combustion technique, and (2) MAS-CA(10) and MAS-C3N4(10) nanocomposites obtained by ultrasound-assisted impregnation of MAS with carbon active and graphitic carbon nitride, respectively. FindingThe incorporation of carbon active significantly enhanced the textural properties of MAS-CA, including a high specific surface area (194.9 m2/g), large pore volume (0.81 cm3/g), and increased pore diameter (16.6 nm), facilitating improved dye adsorption and photocatalytic efficiency. The optimized MAS-CA(10) nanocomposite demonstrated remarkable photocatalytic performance, achieving 87.1 % methylene blue (MB) removal, 73 % eosin Y (EY) degradation, and 64.1 % acid orange 7 (AO7) degradation within 140 min under simulated solar irradiation. The influence of initial solution pH, photocatalyst reusability (only 7 % activity drop after 4 cycles), and the proposed mechanism for MB degradation over MAS-CA(10) were investigated. The calculated apparent rate constant for MB degradation over MAS-CA(10) was 0.0174 min−1. This study presents a facile and cost-effective approach for developing highly efficient mesoporous nanophotocatalysts for organic dye remediation under solar light.