Nanomixture of 0-D ternary metal oxides (TiO2– SnO2–Al2O3) cooperating with 1-D hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanorods for RhB removal from synthetic wastewater and hydrogen evolution via water splitting

Abstract

This work was carried out to devise a feasible alternative to remove cationic dyes from industrial wastewater. A nanomixture of (TiO2–SnO2–Al2O3) cooperating with Hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanorods was synthesized in this regard as a catalyst to degrade Rhodamine B (RhB) dye from aqueous medium. The physicochemical properties of the hydrothermally prepared Hydroxyapatite Nano Mixture (HNM) were revealed through XRD, FESEM, TEM, XPS, FTIR, BET-BHJ, UV–Vis, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The synthesized material which was found to be nanorods of average crystallite size 12.53 nm and BET Specific Surface area 60.81 m2 g−1 proved to be very effective for the removal of RhB at various pH conditions (acid, basic, and neutral). Maximum removal of 97% was achieved within 30 min of UV irradiation using 5 ppm RhB in acidic medium while at a higher concentration (20 ppm), it takes just 90 min to achieve 98% degradation of RhB under the same reaction conditions. A further catalytic potential of the prepared nanomixture for hydrogen (H2) evolution via water splitting was explored where 129.45 μmol g−1 of H2 was evolved within 60 min. Our findings suggest that the prepared nanomixture could be used as an efficient catalyst for removing spent dyes used in industrial processes and also as a catalyst for hydrogen gas production.