Synthesis of CuO/Bi₂O₃ nanocomposite for efficient and recycling photodegradation of methylene blue dye

ABSTRACT

Dyes are considered as the most important pollutants in water because of their applications and potential risks for living organisms. Therefore, in this study, the efficiency of CuO/Bi₂O₃ nanocomposite for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye in aqueous solutions under UV-C irradiation was investigated. The CuO/Bi₂O₃ nanocomposite was prepared and then the nanoparticles were characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Fourier Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermal stability analysis (TGA) and plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The effect of various parameters such as pH (3,5,7,9 and 11), catalyst dosage (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5 g/L) and methylene blue dye concentration (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mg/l) was evaluated. Finally, the concentration of dye was measured using a spectrophotometer. FESEM images showed that the nanoparticles were below 100 nm. The results of this survey showed that dye degradation was higher at acidic pH and catalyst content of 0.2 g/l (87.76%) and also decreased with increasing initial dye concentration. The photocatalytic reaction followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. This photocatalyst also showed good stability after 4 periods of reuse. Therefore, it can be concluded that the CuO/Bi₂O₃ catalyst has the swell potential for application in colour removal from wastewater due to its high efficiency and low cost.

KEYWORDS:

• Photocatalyst
• sol-gel
• Cuo/Bi₂O₃ catalysts
• methylene blue dye
• UV-C light

Acknowledgments

The paper is from a postgraduate student thesis (ID: 1398/21252) in the Department of Environmental Sciences of University of Birjand. Thereby the authors appreciate of assistance Mr. Shekari, and Laboratories in Natural Resources and environment and Science Schools University of Birjand during the course of the experiments and analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).