Enhancing the photodegradation of phenol using Fe3O4/SiO2 binary nanocomposite mediated by silane agent

Abstract

Phenol and its derivatives are among the dangerous pollutants usually found in the wastewater of petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. Photodegradation is one of the most promising techniques to treat phenol-polluted wastewater. The lack of reusability of the photocatalyst and their high agglomeration tendency have reduced its stability and efficiency. To address these limitations, a binary nanocomposite of Fe3O4@SiO2 was synthesized in this study to be used as an active photocatalyst for the photodegradation of phenol under UV irradiation. Numerous physicochemical characterizations were performed to study the morphology, crystallinity, thermal stability of the prepared nanocomposite. These techniques confirmed the effective fusion of the two entities in the newly formed nanocomposite. The efficiency of the photocatalysts was steadily enhanced over the period investigated in this study. The phenol degradation efficacy of 84% was accomplished using Fe3O4@SiO2 composite, which was higher as compared to that of single Fe3O4 (59%). The newly prepared materials can be effectively recycled by facile magnetic separation method.