An environmentally friendly synthesis method was used to produce Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles, which were evaluated for their photocatalytic performance in degrading Direct Red 31 dye. The nanoparticles were characterized using XRD, BET, FESEM, EDX, TEM, DRS, and VSM. XRD results confirmed a single-phase spinel cubic structure with a crystallite size of 13 nm. The nanoparticles exhibited a narrow band gap of 1.75 eV, enabling efficient visible light absorption. Photocatalytic tests revealed 94% degradation of Direct Red 31 within 45 minutes. Kinetic analysis showed that the degradation followed a pseudo-first-order reaction. Furthermore, the nanoparticles demonstrated excellent reusability, maintaining their photocatalytic efficiency over four consecutive cycles without any performance degradation, highlighting their strong potential for sustainable wastewater treatment applications.
