Photo-Fenton process for degradation of methylene blue using copper ferrite@sepiolite clay

Abstract

In this research, CuFe2O4 decorated on sepiolite clay (SC@CuFe2O4) catalyst was fabricated using a simple solvothermal process. To study the structure, morphology, and photoelectric characters of the preapred catalyst, a series of methods including SEM, TEM, VSM, DRS, XRD, and EDX were employed in the present study. The investigation demonstrated that the CuFe2O4 particles had a spherical shape and were successfully incorporated onto the fibrous structure of the sepiolite clay (SC). The SC@CuFe2O4 catalyst was utilized in a heterogeneous photo-Fenton reaction to degrade methylene blue (MB) dye. The use of SC effectively inhibited the agglomeration of CuFe2O4 and significantly improved the performance of the heterogeneous catalyst in degrading MB under visible light irradiation. The results of the suggested photo-Fenton-like reaction demonstrated that the complete degradation of MB (C = 20 ppm) could be achieved in 200 min reaction time under mild pH conditions. The results of the reuse experiments indicated that the proposed catalyst exhibited a high degree of reusability, maintaining its effectiveness even after six successive cycles. The SC@CuFe2O4 catalyst exhibits a high degree of catalytic capability, low price, and remarkable chemical stability, making it a promising candidate for use as a heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst in the degradation of organic pollutants.