Title : Fabrication of magnetically recyclable nano photocatalyst decorated with transition metal nanoparticles for the reduction of organic contaminants and photodegradation of azo dyes
Abstract:
Photocatalytic reduction of nitroaromatic compounds and azo dyes present in wastewater by nanostructured materials is a promising process for the treatment of contaminated water. Nanocomposites decorated with metallic nanoparticles in their matrix are an important class of heterogeneous catalysts with high catalytic activity. Functionalized polymers are low cost materials that offer excellent support for catalysts to render stability to metallic nanoparticles. Recently, the catalytic reductive discoloration of dyes assisted by NaBH4 has received great attention due to its simplicity and very quick operating protocol. In this type of process, nanoparticles of noble metals (e.g., Ag, Au, Ru, and Pt) supported on polymer matrixes can be applied as efficient catalytic materials. However, the high cost and scarcity of noble metals and derived catalysts impede their wide application in wastewater treatment procedures. As a result, the replacement of catalysts containing noble metals by cheaper analogs based on transition metals (e.g.,Cu, Ni,Zn etc.) has emerged as a goal for further research.The hybrid nanocatalyst can easily be recovered and reused successfully for the five consecutive reaction runs with the same catalytic performance. Because of its high photocatalytic efficiency, cost-effectiveness, good magnetic separation performance, non-toxicity, and strong thermal and chemical stabilities, the synthesized magnetic nano-photocatalyst has potential application in wastewater treatment.
Audience take-away:
- Most the photocatalyst are not 100 % recovered after photocatalytic reaction. Hence we develop magnetic nanophotocatalyst which can be easily recovered using an external magnet and also shows high catalytic efficacy.
- In industries we can replace expensive catalyst by our synthesized catalyst which is economical,ecofriendly and shows high chemical and thermal stability.
