Abstract
In this study, CuFe2O4 ferrite was supported on biochar produced from malt biomass residues as a photocatalyst for degradation of methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), and tartrazine (TZ) dyes. XRD, FT-IR, and FE-SEM were used to characterize the crystallinity and morphology of the samples. The characterization showed that the ferrite was uniformly supported on the surface of the biochar, confirming the formation of the composite. Degradation tests showed that CuFe2O4 degraded approximately 50, 47, and 62% of MB, MO, and TZ dyes, respectively, after 60 min of reaction. On the other hand, the CuFe2O4/biochar composite showed a significant increase in dye degradation, ~ 100%, for all three dyes. This increase in degradation efficiency may be due to less agglomeration of supported particles and due to decreased recombination of electron/hole pairs. Thus, results showed that the photocatalyst composite produced in this study is an effective alternative for removing dyes from wastewater.
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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The authors gratefully acknowledge to the financial support provided by CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) 88882.427561/2019–01 and 88887.492412/2020–00.
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Leichtweis, J., Welter, N., Vieira, Y. et al. Use of the CuFe2O4/biochar composite to remove methylene blue, methyl orange and tartrazine dyes from wastewater using photo-Fenton process. Environ Monit Assess 194, 907 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10633-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10633-4