article · Environmental Science and Pollution Research
This research evaluates the photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol, a persistent pollutant found in water, using synthesized silver halide nanomaterials. Nanomaterials containing silver combined with chlorine, bromine, or iodine were prepared via a surfactant-free hydrothermal method. Structural and morphological assessments showed pure single-phase particles with agglomerated structures. Performance tests under ultraviolet and visible light revealed that the silver and silver bromide composite was the most effective catalyst, achieving 83.37 percent degradation under ultraviolet light and 89.39 percent degradation under visible light over five hours. The reaction followed pseudo-first-order Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics. Testing varied the catalyst dosage, pollutant concentration, and solution acidity to evaluate operational boundaries. However, catalyst reusability tests demonstrated a 50 percent loss in performance after five successive cycles.
Refractory phenolic compounds like 2,4-dichlorophenol are difficult to eliminate from wastewater using conventional treatment methods. Demonstrating that simple silver halide nanomaterials can degrade these stubborn pollutants under visible light offers a route towards harnessing sunlight for water decontamination, reducing reliance on energy-intensive ultraviolet purification systems.
The research points towards wastewater treatment applications, particularly for industrial or municipal facilities handling toxic phenolic contaminants. The technology is at an early laboratory stage, as synthesis and testing were conducted at bench scale. Practical adoption would require addressing catalyst stability, given the observed 50 percent drop in performance over five reuse cycles, before pilot-scale water treatment systems become viable.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
In this study, the photocatalytic activity of nanomaterials Ag/AgX (X = Cl, Br, I) is reported. Highly efficient silver halide (Ag/AgX where X = Cl, Br, I) photocatalysts were synthesized through a hydrothermal method. The samples were characterized using a range of techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) to check their structural, morphology, textural and optical properties. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of photocatalysts was evaluated through the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) under UV and visible light irradiation. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of a single-phase structure (pure phase) in the synthesized photocatalysts. SEM micrographs showed agglomeration with a non-uniform distribution of particles, which is a characteristic of surfactant-free precipitation reactions in aqueous media. The Ag/AgBr photocatalyst exhibited the best degradation efficiency, resulting in 83.37% and 89.39% photodegradation after 5 h of UV and visible light irradiation, respectively. The effect of catalyst loading, initial solution pH, and 2,4-DCP concentration was investigated for the best-performing Ag/AgBr photocatalyst. The degradation kinetics were best described by the pseudo-first-order Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The photocatalytic capacity of Ag/AgBr decreased by 50% after five reuse cycles. SEM images revealed heightened levels of photodegradation on the catalyst surface. The study proved the feasibility of using simple synthesis methods to produce visible light active photocatalysts capable of degrading refractory phenolic pollutants in aqueous systems.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-31921-1
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
