Synthesis of ZnO photocatalyst via ZnO2 precursor and its application for dye degradation from effluent under solar irradiation

Nanosized ZnO crystallites were prepared by a new route from ZnO2 as a precursor. In turn, the precursor was synthesized from Zn(CH3COO)(2)center dot 2H(2)O and H2O2 by a simple mechanochemical method. The synthesized photocatalysts was characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR, and UV-visible spectroscopic methods. The X-ray diffraction data suggest that the synthesized ZnO crystallite has the hexagonal wurtzite structure with crystallite size similar to 13nm. ZnO-mediated photocatalytic degradation of the dyes from an effluent has been investigated under solar irradiation. Experimental conditions for degradation of dyes including pH of the effluent, dose of the catalyst, and height of the effluent column in reaction vessel were optimized. Nearly 100% decolorization and more than 95% degradation of the dyes from the effluent were achieved under optimized conditions under solar irradiation within 90 min time.