Unlocking the synergistic potential of peanut shell derived activated carbon-doped TiO2 for highly efficient photocatalytic removal of organic dye under visible light irradiation

Abstract

The goal of this study was to examine the photocatalytic performance of peanut shell-derived activated carbon (AC) doped TiO2 materials (AC@TiO2) for the treatment of wastewater through degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye. The synthesized materials underwent thorough characterization using XRD, SEM, EDX, UV–Visible spectroscopy, PL spectroscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy to assess their crystallinity, surface morphology, bandgap energy, and functional groups. 2% AC@TiO2 exhibited exceptional photocatalytic performance with a maximum degradation efficiency of 89.9% and a high-rate constant (k) value of 0.0401 min−1, attributed to increased surface area and reduced bandgap. The reaction rate increased with temperature up to 35 °C, but then declined. 2% AC@TiO2 exhibited high degradation efficiency and reusability for six cycles. The optimal pH for maximum efficiency was 7.4. Higher initial dye concentration and the presence of scavengers (BA, OA, Cl) reduced degradation efficiency. These photocatalysts proved highly effective for dye degradation in wastewater treatment.