Photocatalytic degradation of noxious p-nitrophenol using hydrothermally synthesized stannous and zinc oxide catalysts

The present research work compares the effectiveness of the hydrothermally produced Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and Stannous Oxide (SnO2) nanocatalysts through a new approach for the degradation of p-nitrophenol present in water as a noxious chemical. The study focuses on the photocatalytic degradation of p-nitrophenol due to its detrimental effects on both the environment and human health. The photocatalyst, ZnO and SnO2 have been synthesized using a facile hydrothermal approach at 140 degrees C for 7 h. Both photocatalysts were characterized using XRD, FTIR, and SEM to comprehend their morphologies and structures. It was observed that the ZnO photo-catalyst has better degradation efficiency (95%) as compared to the SnO2 catalyst (79%) towards the degradation of p-nitrophenol. A detailed investigation has been carried out to understand the photocatalytic degradation of p-nitrophenol in terms of the total organic carbon (TOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and total suspended solids (TSS). In addition, it was discovered that the optimal conditions for degrading p-nitrophenol are ZnO photocatalysts with a concentration of 0.1 g/L at a pH of 10.5, in the presence of 5 mM H2O2 and a pollutant concentration of 20 ppm.

Automated summary

This research compares the effectiveness of hydrothermally produced ZnO and SnO2 nanocatalysts in degrading p-nitrophenol, a noxious chemical in water. The study finds that ZnO catalyst has better degradation efficiency compared to SnO2 catalyst. Detailed investigation reveals the optimal conditions for degrading p-nitrophenol using ZnO photocatalysts.