Synthesis and Characterization of Zinc Peroxide Nanoparticles for the Photodegradation of Nitrobenzene Assisted by UV-Light

Jesús Isaías De León Ramírez,Víctor Alfredo Reyes Villegas,Mirna Del Carmen Brito Perea,Bertha Landeros Sánchez,Esteban Hernández Guevara,Sergio Pérez Sicairos

doi:10.3390/catal10091041

Abstract

The contamination of both soil and water by nitrobenzene (NB) is a problem that has been studied, where several reactive agents have been developed for the degradation of this compound as well as different methods. Nanoparticles with semiconductive properties have been studied for organic compounds photodegradation due to their assistance in optimizing the degradation processes. Two of the most promising photocatalysts are ZnO and TiO2 because of their optimal results. In the present work the performance of the zinc peroxide (ZnO2) nanoparticles was evaluated. ZnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized from zinc acetate and hydrogen peroxide using the Sol-Gel method under ultrasound assistance. The characterization was carried out by UV–Vis spectroscopy, infrared Fourier transform total reflectance (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Zeta potential, dynamic light scattering (DLS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The experiments for the degradation of NB were carried out in a photoreactor with UV lamps of 254 nm at 25 °C, using a solution of nitrobenzene with the nanoparticles. The best conditions for NB photodegradation were 30 ppm (ZnO2) and 15 ppm (NB) at pH 2, reaching up to 90% degradation in 2 h. The intermediates formed during the photodegradation of NB were identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

Highlights

Nitrobenzene (NB) is an aromatic molecule that causes toxicity in living organisms
The material that we synthesized contains crystals of a size smaller than 10 nm, which can support to enhance the adsorption of NB molecules because of their high surface/volume ratio and in this wayCatalysts benefiting the degradation of NB
It has been observed that this method has been useful to synthesize particles with a consistent size and crystallinity, that is why this method was selected [31]

Summary

Introduction

Nitrobenzene (NB) is an aromatic molecule that causes toxicity in living organisms. When NB is absorbed into the systemic circulation, it causes methemoglobinemia, hepatoxicity, neurotoxicity, inhibition of liver enzymes, conjectured carcinogenicity and has been found to cause genotoxicity in Drosophila [1,2,3]. This carcinogenic pollutant is widely used for the fabrication of different types of products, such as dyes, explosives, and pesticides [4]. Nitrobenzene is a toxic agent that even at low concentrations can be a pollutant for the environment and living organisms [9].

Methods

Results

Conclusion