Visible light activated Mg, Co co-doped hematite for effective removal of reactive red 35 from textile wastewater

Abstract

The exceptional hike in industrialization has led to water pollution mainly due to the organic wastes from textile, printing and leather industries. Photocatalysis has emerged as one of the best methods to decompose organic waste from wastewater. In this regard, Mg and Co co-doped, Mg0.5Co0.5FeO3 nanoparticles have been synthesized using a modified hydrothermal method followed by annealing at different temperatures (300, 400, 500 and 600°C). The structural properties were investigated with the help of XRD and FTIR. FE-SEM depicted that the synthesized particles have a spherical morphology and the average particle size lies in the nano region (8-20 nm). The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized catalysts was tested under visible light for the degradation of 20 ppm reactive red 35 (RR-35) dye. Thethe enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of F400 can be attributed to its optimum band positions which was confirmed using scavenger tests for the presence of various active species. Further, a combination of sonocatalysis, H2O2, and photocatalysis was employed and this synergistic approach resulted in an impressive enhancement in the degradation efficiency of F400 catalyst.