Enhancing Photocatalytic Degradation Using Cu-CoS2 Nanoparticles for Solar-Driven Decolorization of Textile Dye Contaminants in Wastewater

Copper cobalt sulfide (Cu-CoS2) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via the co-precipitation method in the present study. The synthesized nanoparticles were employed as photocatalysts for the degradation of two hazardous dyes, Eosin B (EB) and Rhodamine B (RB), under sunlight irradiation. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, UV-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray Diffraction analysis. The calculated optical band gap of Cu-CoS2 was 2.06 eV, while the point of zero charge (PZC) was determined to be 7. The XRD results confirmed the crystalline nature of the Cu-CoS2 nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of 28.23 nm. The catalyst exhibited higher photocatalytic degradation efficiency for EB than for RB in single-dye solutions. In contrast, the presence of EB in the binary dye mixture did not significantly influence the degradation of RB. The effects of various operational parameters, including dye concentration, pH, temperature, and catalyst dosage, were systematically investigated. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of both dyes decreased with increasing initial dye concentration. Optimum degradation conditions for both single and binary dye systems were obtained at dye concentrations of 40:20 μM, pH 5 for EB, pH 9 for RB, and a temperature of 50 °C. The maximum degradation efficiencies achieved in single-dye solutions were 97% for RB and 92% for EB, whereas degradation efficiencies of 98% for RB and 82% for EB were observed in binary dye systems. Furthermore, first-order and second-order kinetic models were applied to evaluate the photodegradation process, and the experimental data showed better agreement with the second-order kinetic model.