Abstract
Mn3O4/ZnO-Al2O3-CeO2 catalyst was synthesized through a solid-state process from a 3% Mn-doped Zn-(Al/Ce) layered double hydroxide structure. Detailed structural and optical characterization using XRD, FTIR, UV–visible DRS, and TEM was conducted. By investigating clofibric acid (CA) degradation in aqueous solution, Mn3O4/ZnO-Al2O3-CeO2 photocatalytic activity was evaluated. The results show that the heterostructure mixed oxide catalyst has excellent CA photodegradation performance. Further, the characterization reveals that such photocatalytic efficiency can be attributed to two facts that are summarized in the optical properties and the synergic effect between Mn and Ce elements. The sample demonstrated a narrow band gap of 2.34 eV based on DRS. According to the experimental results of the photodegradation, after 120 min of irradiation, the photocatalyst exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity, with a degradation efficiency of 93.6%. Optimization outcomes indicated that maximum degradation efficiency was attained under the following optimum conditions: catalyst dose of 0.3 g/L, initial dye concentration of 20 mg/L, pH 3.86, and 120 min of reaction time. The quenching test demonstrates that photogenerated electrons and superoxide radicals are the most powerful reactive species. The catalyst could be useful in decreasing the photogenerated charges recombination, which offers more redox cycles simultaneously during the catalytic process. The strong Ce-Mn interaction and the formation of their different oxidation states offer a high degradation efficiency by facilitating electron–hole transfer. The introduction of Mn3O4 in the catalyst can effectively improve the visible absorption properties, which are beneficial in the photocatalytic process by reaching a high catalytic efficiency at a low cost.
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The datasets used and/or analyzed during this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST) of Morocco for microscopic analysis performed in their technical facilities. The authors also acknowledge the financial support through Researchers Supporting Project number (RSPD2024R768), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Funding
This study was funded by Researchers Supporting Project number (RSPD2024R768), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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Fatima Zahra Janani: performed the experiments, analyzed and interpreted the data, and writing: original draft. Habiba Khiar: performed the experiments and analyzed and interpreted the data. Nawal Taoufik: analyzed and interpreted the data and data curation. Mhamed Sadiq: analyzed and interpreted the data and data curation. Lidia Favier: analyzed and interpreted the data, writing: review and editing, and data curation. Abdelrahman Osama Ezzat: writing: review and editing. Alaâeddine Elhalil: analyzed and interpreted the data and writing: review and editing. Noureddine Barka: conceived and designed the experiments, analyzed and interpreted the data, writing: review and editing, and supervision.
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Janani, F.Z., Khiar, H., Taoufik, N. et al. Mn3O4/ZnO-Al2O3-CeO2 mixed oxide catalyst derived from Mn-doped Zn-(Al/Ce)-LDHs: efficient visible light photodegradation of clofibric acid in water. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 25373–25387 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32841-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32841-w