Synthesis and characterization of zeolite-supported CdS/TiO2/Ag2CO3 ternary composite for Photodegradation of methyl Orange

Abstract

Co-precipitation was used to produce single, binary, and ternary systems of CdS/TiO₂:Ag₂CO₃ with varied molar ratios (1:2, 1:3, and 1:4). The impregnation method was also used to fabricate a zeolite-supported CdS/TiO₂/Ag₂CO₃ (ZST) composite. XRD, UV–Vis, FTIR, PL, CV, and EIS instruments were employed to investigate the crystal structure, electronic properties, functional groups, optical characteristics, and other properties of the as-prepared composites. The photodegradation studies of all as-produced photocatalysts were assessed employing a solution of model contaminant methyl orange (MO) and real effluent taken from the Bahir Dar Textile Industry. The photodegradation measurements of the CdS/TiO₂/Ag₂CO₃ composite (1:2, 1:3, and 1:4) were shown to be superior to those of single and hybrid constituents due to producing an additional avenue for the generation of e⁻-h⁺ pairs. Using a zeolite-supported CdS/TiO₂/Ag₂CO₃ (ZST) composite, the influence of operative variables like pH, initial dye quantity, and photocatalyst load on MO dye discoloration was examined. At ideal settings, the percent degradation efficiency for the naked CdS/TiO₂/Ag₂CO₃ (T1) and zeolite-supported CdS/TiO₂/Ag₂CO₃ (ZST) ternary-based composites on the model dye were 82.4 and 91.6 %, respectively. The influence of various trapping agents reveals that the primary species engaged in the decolorization of MO were ^•O₂⁻ and ^•OH. The zeolite-supported photocatalyst also had a greater photodegradation efficiency of MO than real effluent samples, with 92.1 and 73.8 %, respectively.