Development of ZnO-graphene oxide composite for enhanced photodegradation of Sandalfix orange P3R and Sandalfix Turq. blue PG dyes under irradiation of sunlight

The rapid industrial evolution has created a serious pollution problem due to the discharge of a huge amount of wastewater contaminated with organic compounds like dyes, oil, and solvents. Organic dyes contribute to a significant portion of water pollution. Traditional methods are not successful in eliminating dyes from wastewater. Sunlight-assisted photocatalysis is an attractive alternative approach for eradicating dyes from aqueous medium. Here in, the development of ZnO-decorated graphene oxide (ZnO-GO) for the photodegradation of selected dyes is reported. Sandalfix orange P3R and Sandalfix Turq. blue PG dyes were selected as model dyes to explore the catalytic performance of fabricated ZnO-GO. The Hammer and Offeman, and chemical reduction methods were followed for the synthesis of GO and ZnO-GO, respectively. The XRD, UV visible spectroscopy, surface area measurement, FTIR, and TEM were used for the characterization of ZnO-GO. More than 95% of 100 mg/L (50 mL) of each dye was degraded during 120 min of reaction duration over the ZnO-GO catalyst. ZnO-GO exhibited 2.2- and 1.9-fold catalytic activity in the degradation of Sandalfix orange P3R and Sandalfix Turq. than GO and ZnO, respectively.