Sustainable synthesis of biochar-rGO supported AgNPs nanohybrid as high performance photocatalyst for Cr(VI) ion reduction and antibiotic degradation

The dreadful risk to human and aquatic life posed by the released organic effluents from industries has been growing as a precarious concern. In this context, present research aim to address this global concern by developing an efficient photocatalyst comprising Ag nanoparticle decorated biochar-reduced graphene oxide (Ag@BC-rGO). The synthesis process involves the use of a marine alga Trentepohlia sp. as green reducing and stabilizing agent to minimize the use of harsh chemicals. Analyzing the catalyst using various techniques shows its high potentiality as efficient and easily recoverable and reusable catalyst for degradation of persistent antibiotic, as well as highly toxic Cr(VI) ion under scattered sun light irradiation. The catalytic property of the synthesized Ag@BC-rGO is a result of the generation of hydroxyl and superoxide radicals, as evident by the quenching experiment. LC-MS confirming that rifampicin was indeed catalytically degraded to small fragments by Ag@BC-rGO nanohybrid. Hence, this work puts forward a sustainable, cost-effective, reusable, and highly efficient catalyst (Ag@BC-rGO) that can be used in the practical approach to remediate environmental pollution.