Synthesis of a novel visible-light active Gd2O3/GdVO4/V2O5 photocatalyst for rapid purification of industrial wastewater containing organic dyes and bacteria

Abstract

In the past decades, population growth and industrial development have posed a significant threat to the aquatic environment and water pollution, considerably influencing our living standards. In the present study, novel visible light-responsive nano photocatalysts Gd2O3/GdVO4/V2O5 were synthesized by mechanical alloying and sintered at different elevated temperatures. All the structural and microstructural parameters of the mechanosynthesized C12.6N0.6VO3 phase have been modified from the reported values. XRD, TEM, SEM, XPS, and FTIR are employed to characterize the as-obtained nanocomposites with elemental mapping. The surface or grain boundary defects, bandgap, and Urbach energy of the nanocomposites are revealed by diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and BET analysis. The photodegradation and quantum efficiency of the samples are investigated by analyzing UV–Vis spectra, using Rhodamine B (RhB), Congo Red (CR), and Methylene Blue (MB) as model organic dye pollutants. Experimental results reflect that the 5 h milled and sintered sample shows better photocatalytic degradation efficiency of almost 100% within 150 min - nearly twice that of pure precursor materials. Scavenger tests ensure the oxidative radical species involved in the photodegradation mechanism. The antibacterial study reveals that the Gd2O3/GdVO4/V2O5 nanocomposite efficiently prohibits gram-positive bacterial growth in the wastewater. These Gd2O3 /GdVO4 /V2O5 nanocomposites may be utilized as an efficient tool for wastewater treatment in industrial areas and prohibiting bacterial growth in wastewater.