A novel Ce-Ni@biochar nanocomposite with enhanced photocatalytic activity towards organic dyes degradation: impact of process variables and water matrices

The intent of this research work is to implement a biogenic, affordable, and highly effective Ce-Ni@biochar catalyst in order to study its photoactivity in the removal of crystal violet and malachite green oxalate. The catalyst was synthesized using liquid phase reduction method where cerium and nickel nanoparticles are embedded on the rice husk biochar for photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in the presence of sunshine. Various characterization techniques were conducted on fabricated catalyst for adequate evaluation of the chemical composition as well as morphological and topographical properties of the formed compound. The nanoparticles embedded on biochar persuade increased charge separation that resulted in a substantial decrease in electron-hole recombination rate. The synergistic actions of the catalyst resulted in a high level of photocatalytic activity. The fabricated nanocatalyst showed excellent photoactivity that caused 96 and 99% degradation of crystal violet and malachite green oxalate, a growing industrial pollutant, within 35 and 25 min, respectively. A persuasive mechanism and kinetics are well presented. A series of investigations were done on other factors, such as contact duration, catalyst dosage, starting concentration, interfering ions, and pH, to know its degradation pursuance. The impacts of different water matrices were also investigated. The removal effectiveness of the synthesized catalyst persisted after five consecutive cycles. Marking the burgeoning industrial effluents as a result of rapid industrialization and also focusing on easy availability and low-cost source as well as high efficiency, reusability of the catalyst imparts its novelty and need of this research work.

Automated summary

The purpose of this research is to study the photoactivity of a biogenic, affordable, and highly effective Ce-Ni@biochar catalyst in removing crystal violet and malachite green oxalate. The catalyst, synthesized using a liquid phase reduction method, combines cerium and nickel nanoparticles with rice husk biochar for photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in the presence of sunlight. Various characterization techniques were used to evaluate the chemical composition, morphology, and topography of the catalyst. The embedded nanoparticles on biochar enhance charge separation, resulting in a significant decrease in electron-hole recombination rate and a high level of photocatalytic activity. The fabricated nanocatalyst shows excellent photoactivity, degrading 96% and 99% of crystal violet and malachite green oxalate within 35 and 25 minutes, respectively. The catalyst's reusability adds to its novelty and importance in addressing the growing industrial effluents.