Photodegradation of methylene blue using carbonized bagasse doped with cerium oxide nanoparticles

The increasing need for sustainable and effective materials for environmental remediation drives the development of new catalytic supports for photocatalytic processes. Despite numerous advances, a gap remains in utilizing biomass-based materials for efficient photocatalysis, particularly in degrading organic pollutants. This research explored the potential of agave bagasse, a waste product from tequila production in Mexico, as a sustainable catalytic support doped with cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeONP) to degrade methylene blue (MB). The hybrid structures were synthesized through ultrasonic coupling and pyrolysis, where agave bagasse was doped with 0.5 wt% CeONPs. The resulting materials were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, XRD, XPS, SEM, and nitrogen physisorption. The degradation of MB was evaluated under both LED and UV light using a heterogeneous photocatalysis process. Under UV light, the photocatalytic performance remained high, achieving over 99.5 % degradation across multiple reuse cycles. In contrast, the efficiency under LED light was lower due to the reduced photon energy. Post-cycle analysis reveals structural fragmentation and changes in the distribution of cerium nanoparticles, impacting material effectiveness. Scavenger experiments revealed that by ∙O₂⁻, h⁺, and ∙OH radicals, the degradation of MB by our composite is primarily driven. This study highlights the revalorization of agave bagasse as an effective and durable photocatalyst, providing a solution for waste management and the demand for efficient photocatalytic materials in environmental applications.