Effect of co-doping of bismuth, copper and cerium in zinc ferrite on the photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A

In the current research, ZnFe2O4, Zn0.50Cu0.50Fe2O4, ZnFe1.90Bi0.10O4, ZnFe1.95Ce0.05O4, Zn0.50Cu0.50Fe1.90Bi0.10O4 and Zn0.50Cu0.50Fe1.95Ce0.05O4 magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized to remove the BPA (bisphenol A) from contaminated water through photocatalytic performance. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by powder XRD, UV-DRS, FT-IR, SEM-EDAX, VSM and XPS. From the XRD results it was observed that the particle size ranged from 38.26 to 30.18 nm. UV-DRS showed the band gap value ranging from 1.94 to 1.04 eV for the fabricated magnetic nanoparticles. Under 250 W UV-light irradiation, degradation of BPA using Zn0.50Cu0.50Fe1.90Bi0.10O4 and Zn0.50Cu0.50Fe1.95Ce0.05O4 nanoparticles were 90.09 and 91.25% in 180 min with the rate constant of (k) 0.02250 and 0.02365 min(-1), respectively. The reactive species responsible for photocatalytic degradation were hydroxy radicals and superoxide radicals. 87.89% and 88.91% of degradation was observed after three cycles using Zn0.50Cu0.50Fe1.90Bi0.10O4 and Zn0.50Cu0.50Fe1.95Ce0.05O4 nanoparticles. The outcomes indicated that Zn0.50Cu0.50Fe1.90Bi0.10O4 and Zn0.50Cu0.50Fe1.95Ce0.05O4 nanoparticles show good stability for BPA degradation. (C) 2019 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.