Biomass-derived activated carbon/cerium oxide nanocomposite as adsorptive photocatalyst for effective removal of carcinogenic dye

• Published in: Materials research bulletin 2025-03, Vol.183, p.113212, Article 113212
• Main Authors: Sumi, K., Supraja, K.S., Aashika, R.C., Arivanandhan, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Adsorptive-photocatalyst; Cerium oxide; Rhodamine B
• ISSN: 0025-5408
• DOI: 10.1016/j.materresbull.2024.113212

•Activated carbon was prepared from Palm leaf based biomass.•Development of a unique nanocomposite by merging activated carbon and cerium oxide.•Rhodamine B degradation studies performed under dark and light conditions.•Degradation mechanism and kinetics were studied for the degradation process.•ACO-4 nanocomposite performed well with high rate constant. Semiconductor-based photocatalysts offer potential solutions for carcinogenic dye-related issues in water under light irradiation. However, their efficiency is affected by the recombination of photoelectrons and holes. The present study focuses on synthesizing biomass-derived activated carbon (AC), Cerium Oxide (CeO2), and AC/CeO2 (ACO) nanocomposites for toxic dye degradation. The physicochemical properties of samples were analyzed by XRD, SEM, EDX, TEM, UV–visible, Raman, XPS, and PL analysis. The photocatalytic performance of AC, CeO2, and ACO nanocomposites was evaluated under dark and light conditions for the removal of carcinogenic Rhodamine B (RhB). ACO nanocomposites exhibited adsorptive-photocatalytic performance, displaying unique adsorption and photocatalytic degradation rates due to their synergistic combination. Remarkably, the ACO-4 composite showed lower recombination of e−/h+ pairs, thereby exhibiting superior photocatalytic activity compared to other samples. The degradation rate constant under light was 0.1815 min⁻¹ with a half-life time of 3.81 min, whereas in dark, it was 0.0665 min⁻¹ with a half-life time of 10.42 min. [Display omitted]