The present study compares the photocatalytic decolorization ability of Fe-doped ZnO modified both natural zeolite and montmorillonite towards aqueous solution of organic dyes such as methylene blue and methyl orange under UV light irradiation. Both photocatalysts were synthesized using co-precipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray, Fourier-transform infrared absorption, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The results showed that the photocatalytic efficiency is better in the presence of montmorillonite compared to natural zeolite.

Fe- and Co-doped ZnO with various doping concentrations have been synthesized by co-precipitation method in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate as anionic surfactant. The obtained sample powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared absorption, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, electron spin resonance spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) method. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by observing the decolorization of methylene blue under UV light irradiation. The results revealed that the addition of a dopant atom significantly enhanced the photocatalytic activity.