Chitosan embedded cobalt barium selenide CoBaSe-CMs microspheres from facile construction to photocatalytic degradation of thymol blue dye using response surface methodology RSM
摘要
As the global population continues to increase, environmental pollution, especially water pollution, also escalates. The rise in industrial activities is a significant contributor to this water contamination. Within the industrial sector, a notable source of pollutants is dyes, with one example being thymol blue (TB). TB is frequently employed as a pH indicator in various industries, yet it is recognized for its adverse environmental effects. This research work aims to synthesize a novel binary-metal selenide photocatalyst (CoBaSe NPs) for degradation of TB dye in solar light irradiation. Synthesis of cobalt barium selenide nanocomposite was successfully done via a solvothermal process. The catalyst was embedded in chitosan for easy recovery and to prevent the leaching of catalyst to the environment. FTIR spectra confirmed the formation of newly synthesized nanocomposite (CoBaSe nanoparticles and chitosan-supported cobalt barium selenide microspheres (CoBaSe-CMs). The prominent peaks of cobalt, barium, and selenide confirmed the presence of newly synthesized CoBaSe-CMs nanocomposite in the EDX spectrum. The XRD showed crystalline nature of the NPs. The calculated crystallite size of CoBaSe- NPs was 23.76 nm calculated from the sharpest peak. Based on the analysis of SEM (Fig. 4), 975 μm was the average size of CoBaSe-CMs. The band gap of new photocatalyst was 1.99 eV. The novel photocatalyst microspheres showed best efficiency of photodegradation up to 89% with 0.3 g catalyst dosage, at pH 7, 20 ppm (concentration), and temperature 35–38 °C for 100 min of sunlight exposure. The newly synthesized photocatalyst (CoBaSe-CMs) could be the best option for cleansing dangerous organic dyes different industrial effluents.