SnO2-Containing Clinoptilolite as a Composite Photocatalyst for Dyes Removal from Wastewater under Solar Light

Abstract

Due to their adsorbent, ion exchange and catalytic properties zeolites are suitable for a variety of applications. We report on the photocatalytic activity of a readily available and inexpensive natural zeolite clinoptilolite (Z) containing SnO2 (Sn-Z). The Sn-Z samples with 3–15 wt. % of Sn were prepared by using a precipitation–deposition method. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the zeolite structure was unaffected by the introduction of the Sn-phase. Diffuse reflectance UV/VIS spectra of the Sn-Z samples confirmed the presence of SnO2 and X-Ray absorption spectroscopy analyses suggested that the SnO2 particles mainly resided on the surface of the clinoptilolite, while ATR-FTIR analysis gave some clues that part of the SnO2 phase was incorporated in the pores of the zeolite. The presence of SnO2 in Sn-Z increased both adsorption capacity and photocatalytic performance which could be partially explained by higher surface area and partially with an increased negative potential of the surface. Adsorption and total degradation of methylene blue (MB) for the Sn-Z with the highest amount of Sn (15 wt.%) was about 30% and 45%, respectively, suggesting a synergetic effect between SnO2 and the clinoptilolite lattice. Reusability tests showed that these catalysts present a promising material for water purification.

Characterization of Ag-exchanged clinoptilolite treated with a plasma jet at atmospheric pressure

“…The spectrum of Ag-clinoptilolite shows a peak at 303 nm, in agreement with previous studies. The UV-Vis DRS spectra of zeolitic-rich tuffs containing primarily clinoptilolite and its silver-modified forms are used to determine the states of silver in the extra-framework sites (Concepción-Rosabal et al , 2005; Rodríguez-Iznaga et al , 2011; Chmielewská et al , 2014; Suligoj et al , 2020). After the DBD-like plasma jet application, new absorption peaks centred at 325 and 370 nm appeared.…”

Chabazite Synthesis and Its Exchange with Ti, Zn, Cu, Ag and Au for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Dye

“…For example, zeolites such as chabazite, zeolite Y, mordenite, faujasite and LTA have already been studied as catalyst carriers for the degradation of organic dyes [31][32][33]. In addition to the zeolite ZSM-12, which has been used in the photodegradation of MB with relatively low removal results [34], the synthesis of composite materials such as Zn-ZSM-5 [35], TiO 2 /Ni-ZSM-5 [36], g-C 3 N 4 -H-ZSM-5 [37] and clinoptilolite [38] improves the adsorption of MB to the zeolite surface, obtaining high photodegradation efficiencies.…”

ZnO-Incorporated ZSM-5 for Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction into Solar Fuels under UV–Visible Light

“…The porous structure of zeolite can confine small molecules such as CO 2 to enhance its photocatalytic activity further. Moreover, zeolite has been applied as supporting material for various hetero-structured photocatalysts, such as TiO 2 /Clinoptilolite [11], Ag-TiO 2 /Zeolite-Y [12], ZnO/Zeolite-Y [13], and SnO 2 /Clinoptilolite [14]. However, these reported works mainly focused on air and pollutant degradation, exhibiting higher efficiency than bare materials.…”