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Photocatalytic removal of persistent pollutants using eco-friendly ZnO

  • Original Paper: Sol-gel and hybrid materials for catalytic, photoelectrochemical and sensor applications
  • Published:
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Abstract

The heterogeneous photocatalysis process using ZnO has played an important role in the elimination of emerging contaminants in aqueous media. In this context, this work aimed to synthesize a ZnO-based photocatalyst obtained through an alternative sol-gel route using cassava starch as a polymerizing agent and apply it in a photocatalytic system to remove persistent pollutants in an aqueous medium. The material obtained was characterized by different techniques. XRD results show that it is a high crystalline catalyst with peaks characteristic of ZnO, while FTIR proves that cassava starch was a crucial chelating agent in the synthesis. The band gap value of the catalyst was 3.06 eV, which comprises the visible light spectrum, resulting in an optical improvement of the photocatalyst. The material was used in a tartrazine yellow dye removal system, and the influence of process parameters was investigated. Through kinetics, the optimal removal point was determined at [Cat]0 = 0.5 g L−1, [TY]0 = 10 mg L−1, pH = 12 and oxygenation, which reached 94% removal efficiency of the dye in 180 min of reaction. The chemical parameters COD and TOC confirmed the mineralization of the TY dye, resulting in 89% and 80% reduction, respectively. Thus, the results of this study demonstrate that the synthesis method shows the potential of this material as a sustainable and low-cost photocatalyst.

Graphical abstract

Highlights

  • An eco-friendly ZnO photocatalyst was synthesized and characterized.

  • Cassava starch acted as a chelating agent in obtaining ZnO.

  • The photocatalyst achieved 94% dye removal in 180 min at basic pH.

  • Dye degradation followed first-order kinetics with k = 0.0179 min−1.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – Brasil (CNPq) [Proc. 159371/2019-8], Fundação Araucaria (FA-PR) for the RENEWABLE HYDROCARBONET (NAPI-HCR) project.

Authors contributions

CRediT authorship contribution statement: PDM: Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing-original draft, RPN: Investigation, Validation, Writing-original draft, LMMJ: Supervision, Writing-review & editing. OAAS: Resources, Supervision, Writing-review & editing.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, State University of Maringa, Maringá, 87020-900, Paraná, Brazil

    Paula Derksen Macruz, Ramiro Picoli Nippes, Luiz Mario de Matos Jorge & Onélia Aparecida Andreo dos Santos

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  1. Paula Derksen Macruz
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Macruz, P.D., Nippes, R.P., de Matos Jorge, L.M. et al. Photocatalytic removal of persistent pollutants using eco-friendly ZnO. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 104, 387–400 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-022-05949-z

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