Abstract
The present study aimed at synthesizing chromium doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (Cr:ZnO NPs) under mild hydrothermal conditions (temperature ~100 °C, p = autogenous and time ~12 hr). Chromium oxide and n-butylamine were used as dopant and surface modifier, respectively. The characteristics of the synthesized nanoparticles were determined through conducting specialized experiments including powder XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, and UV-VIS spectroscopy. Then, the Cr:ZnO NPs were immobilized on a sandblasted glass through thermal method. The photocatalytic degradation of aniline was conducted in a continuous reactor with a volume of 1.5 liters. Before and after photocatalytic degradation, the immobilized Cr:ZnO NPs were characterized for SEM and EDX to determine the degree of stability of immobilized nanoparticles as well as the influence of the current applied on them. The photodegradation operational parameters investigated were aniline initial concentration (150, 200, and 250 mg/L), pH (5, 7, 6, and 12), and reaction time (2, 4, and 6 hours) under sunlight illumination. The characterization results indicated high purity of the Cr:ZnO NPs and no change in morphology or composition even after the immobilization and photo-oxidation process. Finally, it was found that the optimum conditions for 93% removal of aniline under sunlight illumination was about 6 hours retention time at pH 9.
Highlights
Over half a million organic compounds have been created from the beginning of the new century, with around 10,000 new compounds being invented every year[1]
It complies with the standard sample, which can be attributed to the different diffraction pattern of ZnO46
This proves that the chromium oxide was doped into the zinc oxide lattice without remarkable change in its structure
Summary
Over half a million organic compounds have been created from the beginning of the new century, with around 10,000 new compounds being invented every year[1]. As a substitute for these methods, photocatalytic degradation can be used as an advanced oxidation process (AOP) in order to oxidize organic and aromatic pollutants and convert them to low-risk or safe substances for the environment[13]. In these processes, ultraviolet radiation to the semiconductor material excites the electrons from the valence to conduction band. Different methods have been applied to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles and to dope metal ions into the band-gap of materials[24], including vapor-liquid-gas process[25], vapor-liquid-solid method[26], soft chemistry method[27], sol-gel method[28], co-precipitation method[29], and hydrothermal synthesis[30]. The aim of the present study was to synthesize immobilized chromium doped ZnO nanoparticles (Cr:ZnO NPs) and their application in photocatalytic degradation of aniline under sunlight illumination
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