Iron-nickel bimetallic nanoparticles for reductive degradation of azo dye Orange G in aqueous solution

Abstract

The degradation of Orange G, a monoazo dye, in aqueous solutions was investigated using Fe-Ni bimetallic nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of as-synthesized nanoparticles showed the presence of spherical particles having a size of 20–40nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) did not detect the presence of nickel on the nanoparticle surface, which suggested a uniform distribution of both metals inside the particle core. Batch experiments with a minimum nanocatalyst loading of 3g/L showed complete dye degradation after 10min of reaction time. The degradation efficiency was linearly dependent on the initial dye concentration, pH of the solution and total Fe-Ni catalyst concentration. The efficiency increased with increasing Fe-Ni concentration and decreasing pH of the solution, but decreased with an increase in the dye concentration. The degradation rate followed first order reaction kinetics with respect to the dye concentration. High performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS) analysis of the degradation products revealed that the degradation mechanism proceeds through a reductive cleavage of the azo linkage resulting in the formation of aniline and surface-adsorbed naphthol amine derivatives. The latter are subsequently hydroxylated through an oxidative process.