A Comparative Study of Photocatalytic Activity of ZnO/activated Carbon Nanocomposites Prepared by Solid-state and Conventional Precipitation Methods

A novel heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst was prepared by solid-state ion exchange Method. Synthesis of Fe-modified Bentonite (Fe-B) was performed at 100 and 200 ° C for 0.5, 1, and 2 minutes. Fe-B was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Elemental dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The activity of prepared Fe-B catalyst was assayed in the degradation of Methylene blue (MB) in the peresence of H2O2 and under UV irradiation. The effects of reaction parameters such as initial dye concentration, H2O2 concentration, Fe-B catalyst loading and initial solution pH on the degradation of MB were also investigated. Between different prepared Fe-B catalysts, the sample prepared at 100 °C and 2 min was selected as the optimum conditions for synthesis. Under Optimal conditions (pH=4.0, 200 ppm H2O2, and ), ~100% discoloration of 200 ppm MB can be achieved in 90 min. The result of reusability studies shows the acceptable reusability of the catalyst. These results were satisfactory to recommend Fe-modified Bentonite prepared by solid-state ion exchange method as a novel catalyst.