Effective Heterogeneous Fenton‐Like degradation of Malachite Green Dye Using the Core‐Shell Fe <sub>3</sub> O <sub>4</sub> @SiO <sub>2</sub> Nano‐Catalyst
Nafis Mahmud, Abdelbaki Benamor, Mustafa S. Nasser, Muneer M. Ba‐Abbad, Muftah H. El‐Naas, Abdul Wahab Mohammad
Abstract
Abstract In this study, the application of the core‐shell Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 nano‐catalysts for fenton‐like degradation of malachite green dye has been presented. The nano‐catalysts were prepared using a combination of solvothermal and sol‐gel techniques and characterized using XRD, FTIR, SEM/EDX, TEM and VSM techniques. The effects of various reaction parameters on the degradation of malachite green dye using the prepared nano‐catalysts were investigated. The optimal condition for pH, catalyst dosage and H 2 O 2 amount were found to be at 6.7, 15 mg and 50 μL, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, a degradation efficiency of 96.18 % for malachite green dye was achieved using the catalyst within 30 minutes at 303 K with a pseudo first order rate constant of 0.1102 min −1 . The plausible mechanism for MG degradation was determined to be the combination of adsorption and simultaneous decomposition via formation of hydroxyl radicals. The performance of the nano‐catalyst was compared with other fenton‐like catalysts reported in the literature. Finally, the magnetic properties of the Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 catalysts was utilized for its successful recovery and application in multiple degradation cycles.