Functionalized gum acacia–activated carbon-CaO/NiO nanocomposite for potential photocatalytic removal of organic pollutants from water

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2023-11, Vol.30 (53), p.113520-113537
• Main Author: Alterary, Seham S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Aquatic Pollution; Aqueous solutions; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Carbon; Charcoal; Color removal; Coloring Agents; Dyes; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Pollutants; Gum Arabic; Gums; Irradiation; Light irradiation; Light sources; Methylene Blue; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; Nickel oxides; Pollutant removal; Radiation; Research Article; Rhodamine; Sol-gel processes; Synthesis; Ultraviolet radiation; Waste Water Technology; Water; Water Management; Water pollution; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30328-8

A functionalized gum acacia–activated carbon-CaO/NiO nanocomposite was synthesized using an eco-friendly sol–gel method. The formed nanocomposite was designed to apply various light sources to enhance the improved removal of organic dyes such as methylene blue, methyl orange, methyl red, and rhodamine B from aqueous media. The band gap energies of CaO, NiO nanoparticles and gum acacia–activated carbon were 3.54, 4.28, and 5.34 eV, respectively, corresponding to a reflection edge of 350, 290, and 232 nm, respectively. The surface area of the synthesized nanocomposite was measured to be 17.892 m 2 g −1 . Sunlight and 20 mg L −1 of the nanocomposite quenched the dyes (methylene blue, 99.7%; methyl orange, 98.3%; methyl red, 96.7%; and rhodamine B, 93.5%) after 120, 100, 100, and 75 min of irradiation, respectively. However, after 80, 100, 100, and 75 min, the percentage of dyes under UV light irradiation was 98.6%, 95.8%, 98.4%, and 94.2% for methylene blue, methyl orange, methyl red, and rhodamine B, respectively. The nanocomposite showed excellent stability after five cycles of dye reduction.