Application of activated M/ZnO (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Ag) in photocatalytic degradation of diazo textile coloring dye

Activated ZnO powder has been prepared by procedures involving first its dissolution in nitric acid, then simultaneous treatment by adding NH4OH and CO2 bubbling leading to precipitation as Zn(OH)CO3 (ZH) and further thermal decomposition of ZH at 400 °C. The gas evolution leads to formation of pores and increase in the specific surface area. Chemically activated M/ZnO powders doped with Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Ag have been obtained by the impregnation method. The samples have been characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance (DR) UV-Vis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), single point Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) methods. The experiments have shown that metal-doped activated ZnO powders possess higher photocatalytic activities in oxidative discoloration of model contaminant textile coloring dye Reactive Black 5 in slurry reactor compared to that of the pure ZnO. The XRD and XPS data have shown the presence of defects, nonstoichiometricity implying the formation of solid solutions. Copper-doped (1.5 wt%) activated ZnO (Cu2+ replaces Zn2+) is outstanding in its photocatalytic performance in discoloration of the dye due to the higher specific surface area and improved charge carrier separation.