محسن منصوری

In this research, the photocatalytic degradation of reactive blue 19 (RB19) dye was investigated using Zn-Cu (zinc-copper) oxide nanocatalysts under UV irradiation. The Zn-Cu oxide nanocatalysts were prepared through the co-precipitation technique, and their surface and morphology were thoroughly examined using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) methods. BET-BJH analysis revealed a specific surface area of 59.774 m2/g for the Zn-Cu oxide nanocatalyst. The response surface methodology (RSM) procedure was employed to optimize operational factors, including catalyst amount, pH, H2O2 dose, and UV power. The quadratic model proposed through RSM, with a high R2 value of 0.89, underscores its reliability. Under optimal conditions, including a catalyst amount of 4 mg, pH of 6.68, H2O dose of 0.42 mL, UV power of 23 W, and a reaction time of 45 min, the maximum percentage of reactive blue 19 dye removal reached 77.14%. Furthermore, under these conditions, after 120 min, the reactive blue 19 degradation efficiency increased to 98.33%. The kinetic study revealed a reaction rate constant of 0.884 min-1. The results demonstrate that Zn-Cu oxides exhibit a higher capacity for reactive blue 19 removal. Even after 5 consecutive reuse cycles, the reduction in the yield of reactive blue 19 removal using Zn-Cu oxide nanocatalysts was only 5.92%. This study highlights the promising potential of Zn-Cu oxide nanocatalysts for the efficient removal of reactive blue 19 dye in suspension mixtures.