Kinetics of photodegradation of congo red dye using brick grain supported zinc oxide nanoparticles

Abstract

The photocatalytic activity of brick grain supported zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO/BGP) was tested to degrade congo red (CR) dye in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Brick grain particles (BGP) were obtained as a solid waste from construction site of Shoolini University, Solan. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized by using precipitation method and coated on BGP by solid-liquid impregnation method. ZnO, BGP and ZnO/BGP were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Decolorization experiments were performed in solar light. The effects of operational parameters such as dye concentration, ZnO/BGP loading, H2O2 dose and pH were evaluated for photocatalytic removal of CR dye. Antibacterial property of ZnO nanoparticles was tested via disc diffusion method.