Sunlight-mediated photocatalytic removal of phenanthrene from wastewater using carbon-doped zinc oxide (C-ZnO) nanoparticles

In an effort for efficient solar energy harvesting, carbon-doped zinc oxide (C-ZnO) nanoparticles with intriguing properties were synthesized by sonicated sol-gel technique with the aid of activated charcoal. Compared to pure ZnO, the incorporation of carbon has drastically promoted the photocatalytic activity of C-ZnO towards the degradation of phenanthrene under illumination of both UV and sunlight. The characterization of the as-synthesized nanoparticles by scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-vis spectra, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the carbon doping of C-ZnO. The highest degradation rate of phenanthrene was obtained at pH 7 and C-ZnO loading of 0.5 g L-1. Finally, the kinetic studies of the photocatalytic degradation of phenanthrene by using C-ZnO were well-fitted with the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model and followed the pseudo-first-order rate expression.

Automated summary

Carbon-doped zinc oxide (C-ZnO) nanoparticles with intriguing properties were successfully synthesized using the sonicated sol-gel technique with the aid of activated charcoal. The incorporation of carbon greatly enhanced the photocatalytic activity of C-ZnO towards the degradation of phenanthrene.