Microwave- and Formaldehyde-Assisted Synthesis of Ag-AgPO with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity for the Degradation of Rhodamine B Dye and Crude Oil Fractions.

The release of crude oil and water-soluble dyes into our marine environment is a major global problem. An efficient semiconductor Ag-AgPO photocatalyst was synthesized using formaldehyde as a reducing agent to form surface active Ag on AgPO under microwave radiation for heating, and its potential in destroying environmental pollutants has been examined. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy of Ag-AgPO revealed an enhanced absorption in the visible light region. The rate of photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B by Ag-AgPO was over 4-fold compared to AgPO. The potential application of Ag-AgPO in oil spill remediation was also examined through photocatalytic degradation of benzene, -hexane, and 1:1 v/v benzene/methanol crude oil-soluble fractions. UV-vis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the crude oil components after visible light irradiation showed excellent degradation. The photocatalytic efficiency enhancement of Ag-AgPO is attributed to the excellent electron trapping of silver nanoparticles deposited on the surface of AgPO. This work will motivate future studies to develop recyclable visible light photocatalysts for many applications.