One pot green synthesis of Al doped zinc ferrite nanoparticle decorated with reduced graphene oxide for photocatalytic remediation of organic pollutants: Green synthesis, kinetics, and photoactivity.

The world is drawn to the widespread use, toxicity, and bioaccumulation of the Atrazine (AT) and Auramine O (AO). Pesticides and dyes also have endocrine disruptors, genotoxic and persistent properties. Therefore, the photodegradation of AT and AO in water was investigated. Herein, the structural design of Al-ZnFeO incorporated in rGO nanocomposite has been synthesized via facile precipitation and green synthesis methodology. PXRD and microscopic analysis confirmed the reduced crystallinity nature of Al-ZnFeO due to the incorporation of amorphous rGO. The green Al-ZnFeO@rGO nanocomposite (AT: 90%; AO: 95%) showed maximum degradation as compared to native nanoparticles with minimum pollutants concentration of 10 mg catalytic dose at neutral pH in sunlight irradiation due to negative zeta potential (-36.0 mV), higher surface area (163 mg) and tailored band gap (2.1 eV). First-order kinetics followed by initial Langmuir adsorption constituted the degradation process. The presence of different radical quenchers (t-BuOH, p-BZQ, NaEDTA) concluded that hydroxyl radical plays a significant role in the degradation of toxic AT and AO. Green fabricated Al-ZnFeO@rGO also showed excellent efficiency for the degradation of AT and AO pollutant in real wastewater sample. Nanocomposite demonstrated remarkable sustainability and cost-effectiveness by remaining effective for up to nine cycles without experiencing any appreciable activity reduction. Due to its favorable surface features, Al-ZnFeO@rGO nanocomposite made via green process is a unique and potential photocatalyst for industrial applications.