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Photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue dye using sand-graphite composite under visible light irradiation

2022; Elsevier BV; Volume: 72; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.matpr.2022.09.044

2214-7853

Soufiane Hmamouchi, Ahmed El Yacoubi, Asmaa Massit, Mohamed Berradi, Mounir El Hezzat, Brahim Sallek, Brahim Chafik El Idrissi,

Fluoride Effects and Removal

The present work aims to synthesize a new graphite-sand composite based on sand and natural sugar with a simple method for photocatalysis application. The obtained photocatalyst was characterized by different techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Ultra-violet Visible (UV–vis). The photocatalytic performances of the synthesized samples were studied for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye as a model pollutant under visible light irradiation. Natural sand, the prepared graphite, and sand-graphite (SG) composite samples were used as photocatalysts for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in aqueous solution. The effects of different experimental parameters on the adsorption capacity and degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye were investigated, such as pH, photocatalyst weight, and contact time. Furthermore, the MB centration, time irradiation, and temperature were fixed for all experiment tests: 10 mg/L, 60 min, and 20–25 °C, respectively. The optimized conditions for best adsorption were determined as follows: pH = 9, photocatalyst mass = 2.4 g/l for graphite sand composite, and pH = 12, photocatalyst mass = 0.2 g/l. According to the results, the sand-graphite composite showed the best photocatalytic performance with a removal efficiency of 87.12 % degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye compared to graphite and sand with a rate of 70.52 % and 38.13 %, respectively. These results indicate that the combination of sand and graphite particles enhanced the photocatalytic performance and adsorption capacity of the composite. The pseudo-first-order (PFO) and second-first-order (PSO) were applied for kinetic adsorption study. The kinetic data matched well with PSO model. The thermodynamic investigation shows that the adsorption of MB on SG composite was an exothermic and spontaneous process. According to this, the synthesized sand-graphite photocatalyst can be used as an alternative material for the degradation of dye wastewater under visible light irradiation.