Abstract

Improper discharge of waste dry cell batteries and untreated antibiotics laden effluents to the environment pose serious threat to the sustenance of the ecosystem. In this study, synthesis of reduced graphene oxide-ZnO (rGO-ZnO) nanocomposite was achieved via a bioreduction process using waste dry cell battery rod as graphene oxide (GO) precursor. The nanocomposite was applied in the ultraviolet photocatalytic degradation of chloramphenicol (CAP) at 290 nm in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. RGO-ZnO nanocomposite was characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, BET and FTIR. TEM image of the nanocomposite revealed a polydispersed, quasi-spherical zinc oxide on a coarse reduced graphene oxide surface. XRD patterns showed sharp, prominent crystalline wurtzite hexagonal phases of ZnO and rGO. BET surface area of the nanocomposite was 722 m2/g with pore size of 2 nm and pore volume of 0.4 cc/g. % photo-removal efficiency increased with increasing irradiation time but diminished at higher pH, temperature and CAP concentration. Photocatalytic adsorption process fitted more accurately into the Freundlich model (R2 = 0.99) indicating a multilayer adsorption mechanism. 92.74% reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) level of veterinary effluent was obtained after treatment with the nanocomposite thus affirming its effectiveness in real waste water samples.

Details

Title
Enhanced adsorptional-photocatalytic degradation of chloramphenicol by reduced graphene oxide-zinc oxide nanocomposite
Author
Sodeinde, K. O. 1 ; Olusanya, S. O. 1 ; Lawal, O. S. 1 ; Sriariyanun, M. 2 ; Adediran, A. A. 3 

 Federal University, Materials and Nanoresearch Unit, Department of Industrial Chemistry, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria (GRID:grid.448729.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 6023 8256) 
 The Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Biorefinery and Process Automation Engineering Center, Bangkok, Thailand (GRID:grid.443738.f) (ISNI:0000 0004 0617 4490) 
 Landmark University, Materials Design and Structural Integrity Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Omu-Aran, Nigeria (GRID:grid.448923.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 1767 6410) 
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2724087926
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2022. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.