Photocatalytic degradation of 2-chlorophenol by synthesizing novel and visible light active Aluminum doped ZnTiO3

Abstract

This study focuses on the elimination of priority organic pollutants from wastewater because of their severe effects on the environment. Conventional treatment methods are inefficient to treat organic pollutants; instead, they result in the production of more toxic compounds that are hazardous for ecosystem as well as human beings. Therefore, a semiconductor ZnTiO3 with Aluminum doping is designed with simple synthesis steps and its activity was observed under direct sunlight for efficient catalytic oxidation of Phenolic compound known as 2- Chlorophenol. The physiochemical properties of all the prepared catalysts were investigated via XRD, UV-Vis DRS and PL. 1% Al-ZnTiO3 showed maximum photocatalytic degradation among all photocatalysts prepared. The calculated band gap of all nano catalysts i.e., TNT, ZnTiO3, 3% Al-ZnTiO3, 1% Al-ZnTiO3 are 3.22 eV, 3.04 eV, 2.93 eV, and 2.81 eV respectively. Experiments were performed to study the key parameters of photo-catalysis that includes the effect of pH, initial concentration of the 2-CP, catalyst dosage and reusability of the catalyst. 1% Al-ZnTiO3 showed maximum photocatalytic degradation activity at pH 6 that was normal pollutant solution pH. Initial concentration of 20 mgL-1 2-chlorophenol was found to be the most efficient for photocatalytic degradation that exhibited about 98.96% degradation, using 0.5 gL-1 within 180 minutes at pH 6. Optimum results were obtained for all catalysts at 100 mgL-1 2-Chlorophenol concentration, 0.5 gL-1 catalyst dose, and pH 6. Furthermore, reusability tests demonstrated the remarkable stability of 1% Al-ZnTiO3 photocatalyst, which maintained high activity even after several cycles of reuse. The results obtained during the study demonstrate the potential of photocatalytic degradation of 2-CP under direct solar light, indicating that the synthesized 1% Al-ZnTiO3 photocatalyst is effective for efficient catalytic oxidation of the phenolic compound. These findings provide evidence for the feasibility of using photocatalytic methods to eliminate priority organic pollutants from wastewater