Synthesis of CuCr2O4 by self-combustion method and photocatalytic activity in the degradation of Azo Dye with visible light

Abstract

Azo dyes are dangerous and notorious environmental pollutants because are difficult to degrade and can form highly toxic products. The degradation of those compounds is of extreme interest and widely studied. At this point, the heterogeneous photocatalysis, an advanced oxidation process (AOP), gains prominence in the degradation of persistent compounds. This study presents the synthesis of CuCr2O4 spinel by the self-combustion method and the photocatalytic activity in the degradation of tartrazine azo dye. The sample was synthesized by self-combustion reaction, which seems to be a simple, efficient and fast process. The sample was characterized, and the results show high purity, homogeneity and great capacity in the degradation in visible light, with a bandgap of 1.25 eV. A factorial design was performed to study the influence of the pH of the solution and the amount of photocatalyst used, and the results showed better performance at pH 3.0 and 0.5 g of CuCr2O4. The photocatalyst proved to be efficient and promising, presenting 99.6 % azo dye degradation in 120 min under visible radiation.