A comparative study of photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B using natural-based zeolite composites

Numerous treatment methodologies have been applied to the degradation of dyes. In addition, the application of nanocomposites in the removal of the hazardous dye pollutants had received great attention because of its size and high reactive nature. In this study, the Zeo-TiO2 and Zeo-ZnO composite photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by a simple co-precipitation method. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N2 sorption-desorption isotherms (BET). Experimentally, in order to compare the performance of both catalysts, the photocatalytic activities were evaluated in the degradation of hazardous Rhodamine B dye in aqueous solution under UV-light. The results revealed that the Zeo-TiO2 composite exhibited superior photocatalytic performance with a degradation rate of 0.0559 min−1, which exceeded that of Zeo-ZnO composite by more than 3 times. For both of photocatalysis, superoxide radical (●O2−) and hydroxyl radical (●OH) dominates the degradation of RhB dye, while holes (h+) show a negligible contribution. Consequently, it can be revealed that the prepared natural-based zeolite photocatalysts can perform as potential composites in the degradation of organic contaminants under UV irradiation.