One-Pot Phyto-Mediated Synthesis of Fe2O3/Fe3O4 Binary Mixed Nanocomposite Efficiently Applied in Wastewater Remediation by Photo-Fenton Reaction

• Published in: Catalysts 2024-07, Vol.14 (7), p.466
• Main Authors: Essawy, Amr A., Hasanin, Tamer H. A., Hussein, Modather. F., El Agammy, Emam F., Essawy, Abd El-Naby I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catalysts; Crystallites; Decomposition; Dyes; Effectiveness; Energy consumption; Ferric oxide; Fourier transforms; hematite/magnetite nanocomposite; Hydrogen peroxide; Industrial wastes; Iron oxides; Metal oxides; Methylene blue; Mineralization; Morphology; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; Optical properties; Oxidation; Particulate composites; Particulates; photo Fenton reaction; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; phytosynthesis; Pollutants; Productivity; Rate constants; Remediation; Scanning electron microscopy; solar photocatalysis; Structuralism; Thermal analysis; Thermal stability; Thermogravimetric analysis; wastewater remediation; Wastewater treatment; Water
• ISSN: 2073-4344; 2073-4344
• DOI: 10.3390/catal14070466

A binary Fe2O3/Fe3O4 mixed nanocomposite was prepared by phyto-mediated avenue to be suited in the photo-Fenton photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) in the presence of H2O2. XRD and SEM analyses illustrated that Fe2O3 nanoparticles of average crystallite size 8.43 nm were successfully mixed with plate-like aggregates of Fe3O4 with a 15.1 nm average crystallite size. Moreover, SEM images showed a porous morphology for the binary Fe2O3/Fe3O4 mixed nanocomposite that is favorable for a photocatalyst. EDX and elemental mapping showed intense iron and oxygen peaks, confirming composite purity and symmetrical distribution. FTIR analysis displayed the distinct Fe-O assignments. Moreover, the isotherm of the developed nanocomposite showed slit-shaped pores in loose particulates within plate-like aggregates and a mesoporous pore-size distribution. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated the high thermal stability of the prepared Fe2O3/Fe3O4 binary nanocomposite. The optical properties illustrated a narrowing in the band gab (Eg = 2.92 eV) that enabled considerable absorption in the visible region of solar light. Suiting the developed binary Fe2O3/Fe3O4 nanocomposite in the photo-Fenton reaction along with H2O2 supplied higher productivity of active oxidizing species and accordingly a higher degradation efficacy of MB. The solar-driven photodegradation reactions were conducted and the estimated rate constants were 0.002, 0.0047, and 0.0143 min−1 when using the Fe2O3/Fe3O4 nanocomposite, pure H2O2, and the Fe2O3/Fe3O4/H2O2 hybrid catalyst, respectively. Therefore, suiting the developed binary Fe2O3/Fe3O4 nanocomposite and H2O2 in photo-Fenton reaction supplied higher productivity of active oxidizing species and accordingly a higher degradation efficacy of MB. After being subjected to four photo-Fenton degradation cycles, the Fe2O3/Fe3O4 nanocomposite catalyst still functioned admirably. Further evaluation of Fe2O3/Fe3O4 nanocomposite in photocatalytic remediation of contaminated water using a mixture of MB and pyronine Y (PY) dyestuffs revealed substantial dye photodegradation efficiencies.