Sonocatalytic degradation of nitrobenzene with metal oxide clay nanocomposites

Abstract

BackgroundThe presence of a wide range of persistent toxic organic pollutants in industrial effluents poses a serious threat to human and environmental health, emphasizing the necessity for developing cost‐effective methods for treating toxic effluents. This study focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of metal oxide (iron, copper and zinc) doped clay composite for the sono‐catalytic degradation of nitrobenzene (NB) in the presence of ultrasound.Results and ConclusionsAmong the metal oxides studied, copper and iron oxide modified clay have performed better in the degradation of NB (~99% in the presence of air) compared to ZnO/clay composite. Process optimization studies were carried with CuO/clay composite at different pH (2.5 – 11.5), feed concentrations (50 – 200 mg/L), and catalyst loadings (0.25 – 1.0 g/L). Neutral pH conditions and higher catalyst loadings of 1 g/L were found to be optimal for the efficient degradation of 50 ppm NB. Among the scavengers tested, ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) exhibited strong scavenging effects, resulting in reduced NB degradation compared to isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and tin tetra chloride (SnCl4), regardless of the scavenger concentration (0.5 mM and 40 mM). The catalyst was found to be stable enough up to 4 cycles under identical conditions. Additionally, these materials were also found to be effective in the degradation of other different pollutants (Terephthalic acid (TPA), Rhodamine‐B (Rh‐B), Ciprofloxacin). These findings contribute to the development of cost‐effective strategies for the treatment of industrial effluents, reducing the risks posed to both the environment and human health.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.