Photocatalytic removal of Rhodamine B in water using g-C3N4/MIL-53(Fe) material under LED visible light with persulfate activation

Photocatalysis is usually considered as one of the most effective methods for treating non-biodegradable pollutants commonly found in textile wastewater. In this study, the photocatalyst of g-C3N4/MIL-53(Fe) was synthesized by the hydrothermal method and applied for the removal of Rhodamine B (RhB) in water. The photocatalytic material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that the g-C3N4 doped MIL-53(Fe) with 97 wt% of MIL-53(Fe) works effectively under visible light and the presence of oxidants (Na2S2O8). RhB removal efficiency can be more than 99% with 20 mg/L of RhB, 300 mg/L of catalyst, 200 mg/L of Na2S2O8, and pH 3. In addition, the photocatalytic degradation mechanism of RhB with g-C3N4/MIL-53(Fe) was also proposed, which could be improved and studied for a wide range of applications in textile wastewater treatment. © 2021, The Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers.