Enhanced Adsorption, Photocatalytic Degradation Efficiency of Phenol Red Using CuZnAl Hydrotalcite Synthesized by Co-Precipitation Technique

ZnAlCO3 hydrotalcite materials modified by Cu2+ ions were synthesized by the co-precipitation method according to the molar ratios of (Cu2+ + Zn2+):Al3+ as 7:3. Thus, the modified materials contain various molar ratios of Cu2+ from 0–3.5 in the samples. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), FT–IR, EDS, SEM, the N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm (BET), and UV–Vis DRS spectrum. The synthesized materials were characterized by a layered double hydroxide structure—such as hydrotalcite. The specific surface area BET increases slightly, corresponding to the increasing Cu2+ molar ratios, and the bandgap energy Eg decreases accordingly. Especially, these material samples have a high phenol red (PR) adsorption capacity at a concentration of 100 ppm and PR was degraded under a 30 W LED light with over 90% of conversion efficiency in the presence of 1.2 mL of 30% H2O2 solution. In addition, the CuH–3.5 material sample maintained stability after four times catalytic reuse. Therefore, this material can be used as an effective treatment for the wastewater of the sedge mat weaving village.

Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine-B under Led Light Using CuZnAl Hydrotalcite Synthesized by Co-Precipitation Technique

The co-precipitation method was employed to synthesize a set of ZnAl hydrotalcite materials modified by Cu2+. The synthesized materials have a similar lamellar structure to that of hydrotalcite. The distance between layers is in the range of 7.73–8.56 Å. The network parameters a and c ranged from 3.058 to 3.074 Å and from 23.01 to 24.44, respectively. According to the IUPAC classification, the composites possess a mesoporous structure which belongs to class IV, type H 3. Particularly, the absorption edge shifts strongly to the visible light region when increasing the molar ratio of Cu2+ in the samples from 0 to 3.5. The photocatalytic activity of the synthetic materials was evaluated through the degradation efficiency of rhodamine-B (Rh-B) in the water and colorants in textile wastewater. The present study was the first to synthesize a material sample that contains a molar ratio of Cu2+ in the range of 2.5–3.5 and has high catalytic activities. They were able to degrade Rh-B at a high concentration (100 ppm) with a conversion rate of approximately 90% after 240 min of irradiation using a 30 W LED light. The catalytic activity of the composites depends on the molar ratio of modified Cu2+, the value of environmental pH, the H2O2 concentration and the irradiation time.