article · Scientific Reports
Industrial effluents pose major contamination threats and health risks, making wastewater treatment crucial. This research evaluates zinc oxide and copper-dipicolinate (ZnO/Cu-DPA) nanocomposites prepared through mechanical grinding with varying Cu-DPA ratios. The materials were characterised using techniques including electron paramagnetic resonance, powdered X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis absorbance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. When evaluated for the breakdown of methylene blue dye under visible light, the nanocomposite containing 20 percent Cu-DPA achieved the highest degradation efficiency of 87 percent within 80 minutes, outperforming pristine zinc oxide and other composite ratios. This enhanced performance stems from a p-n heterojunction that facilitates the conversion of dissolved oxygen into hydroxyl radicals, identified as the primary active species driving dye decomposition. The composite also demonstrated stability and reusability over three operating cycles.
Untreated industrial wastewater carrying organic dyes poses serious risks to human health and natural water sources. Developing efficient catalysts that harness visible light to neutralise pollutants offers an effective avenue for water purification. Demonstrating that simple mechanical preparation produces a reusable nanocomposite capable of rapid dye degradation supports efforts to remediate contaminated industrial water before it reaches municipal supplies or natural ecosystems.
This work indicates potential applications in industrial wastewater treatment, particularly for facilities discharging organic dyes. Target end-users would be industrial effluent treatment plant operators and water remediation technology developers. The technology remains at an early stage of laboratory research, having been synthesised via mechanical grinding and validated on methylene blue dye degradation over three small-scale reusability cycles without pilot-scale testing or continuous-flow demonstrations.
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Abstract Industrial effluents are a leading major threat for water contamination, subsequently which results in severe health associated risks. Hence, purifying wastewater before releasing into the water resources is essential to avoid contamination. In this study, ZnO/Cu-DPA nano-composites were prepared by altering the percentage of Cu-DPA (20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% which are denoted to be ZnO/20%Cu-DPA, ZnO/30%Cu-DPA, ZnO/40%Cu-DPA and ZnO/50%Cu-DPA) using a simple mechanical grinding process. Several spectroscopic studies were employed such as electron paramagnetic analysis (EPR), powdered X-ray diffractometer (PXRD), UV–Vis absorbance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope to characterize these nano-composites. The photo-catalytic activities of the prepared nano-composites were studied by degrading MB under visible light irradiation. ZnO, ZnO/20%Cu-DPA, ZnO/30%Cu-DPA, ZnO/40%Cu-DPA and ZnO/50%Cu-DPA degradation efficiencies were determined to be 71.8, 78.5, 77.1, and 66.1%, respectively. Among the composite catalysts, the ZnO/20%Cu-DPA coupled system are demonstrated the best efficiency (87%) for photo-degradation of MB within 80 min when exposed to visible light. The ZnO/Cu-DPA nano-composites had a greater MB photodegradation efficiency than pristine ZnO owing to p-n heterojunction in the linked system. Under visible light irradiation, the ZnO/20%Cu-DPA catalysed the conversion of dissolved O 2 to hydroxyl radicals (OH·), triggering the reduction of MB. This suggests that ·OH is the primary specific active radical involved in the photo-catalytic decomposition of MB. Furthermore, EPR analysis indicates the existence of ·OH in the photo-catalytic system. The proposed nano-composites (ZnO/20%Cu-DPA) reusability was investigated across three cycles as the most efficient photo-catalyst. The results show that, the ZnO/Cu-DPA nano-catalyst is a potential candidate for the remediation of dirty water.
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DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43842-z
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