The production of highly efficientvisible‐light‐driven electrospunα‐Fe₂O₃photocatalyst through modifying iron source material for wastewater treatment applications

Abstract

Background: Heterogeneous photocatalysis has been considered one of the most attractive methods in the wastewater remediation process due to allowing continuous re-use, the reactions taking place at room temperature, and photocatalysts are inexpensive.Objective: With the optimization of the structural properties of hematite at the nanometer level by utilizing engineering strategies such as morphology regulation, and shape control, it is possible to enhance its photocatalytic performance. The study's main objective is to improve photocatalytic performances of visible-light photoactive hematite materials produced by engineering strategies.Methods: The α-Fe 2 O 3 photocatalyst fibres with highly porous were fabricated by electrospinning method, allowing extraordinary length, a large ratio of length to diameter, hierarchically porous structure, high surface area, small grain sizes, and high porosity.Results: In the heterogeneous photocatalysis of the electrospun α-Fe 2 O 3 nanofibers against two model dyes representing anionic (MO) and cationic (RhB) characteristics, both electrospun α-Fe 2 O 3 nanofibers showed good photocatalytic activity against used model pollutants. The α-α-Fe 2 O 3 nanofibers produced using iron(III) chloride hexahydrate exhibited a higher photocatalytic degradation rate against both dye pollutants relative to the α-α-Fe 2 O 3 nanofibers produced using iron(III) chloride. Conclusions: Depending on the used iron sources and associatively their final morphological characteristics, it was observed that their photocatalytic degradation performances were seriously affected. It is suggested that electrospun α-Fe 2 O 3 nanofibers, especially those with highly porous and smaller diameters, are suitable candidates as a visible-light-driven semiconductor material to use in advanced oxidation processes for removing pollutants from wastewater.

Removal of Hazardous Organic Dyes from Liquid Wastes Using Advanced Nanomaterials

“…The formulation in which x= 0.06 presented the greatest degradation rates for both dyes, being the ferrite containing Nd 3+ the species presenting the highest rates of all (Table 9). α-Fe2O3 was built at the nanometer (nanofibers) level via the electrospinning procedure to yield a nanomaterial with advanced characteristics to be used as photocatalysts to degrade Rhodamine B and Methyl Orange dyes [175]. The nanofibers fabricated from FeCl3•6H2O presented the best photocatalytic degradation, under visible-light irradiation, against the presence of both dyes in solution.…”