Photodegradation of paracetamol using electrosynthesized silver supported on Durio Zibethinus Husk

Abstract

An advanced oxidation process (AOPs) using heterogeneous semiconductor photocatalysts such as TiO2, ZnO, CuO, and ZrO2 have become a popular method for the removal of toxic pollutants from wastewater. Recently, the noble metal nanoparticles (NPs), such as silver (Ag), gold (Au) and platinum (Pt) has also been intensively studied and show the intense UV and visible light absorbance capability. However, the usage of pure noble metal might be limited due to its cost, hence the utilization of support material is needed. Herein in this study, a simple electrochemical method was used to prepare a series of Ag (5, 10 and 15 wt%) loaded onto Durio Zibethinus Husk (Ag/DZH) as support material. The synthesized catalyst was examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to measure the crystallinity, chemical composition and morphology, respectively. Additionally, the effect of Ag loading on DZH catalysts was evaluated through photocatalytic reaction to degrade 5 mg/L of pH 9 paracetamol in aqueous solution using 0.03 g/L catalyst. Among the catalysts, 10 wt% Ag/DZH shows the highest degradation rate of 0.01197 mg/L.min due to its size, well distribution as well as metal-support interaction.