Characterization and Application of N-doped Carbon Nanodots from Molasses Produced by Microwave-Assisted Extraction Method for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue

Abstract

Methylene Blue brings harm to the environment as it is disposed to the river bodies as waste. This affects the life of aquatic biota and the health of communities that use the river water. To overcome this problem, Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanodots (N-doped CNDs) as photocatalysts can be used as an alternative in degrading Methylene Blue (MB) through the photocatalytic process. The potential of N-doped CNDs to degrade MB through the photocatalytic process became the aim of this study. N-doped CNDs from molasses have been successfully synthesized using H2O2 followed by the Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE) method. The properties of synthesized N-doped CNDs were characterized by UV light 365 nm, UV-Vis spectrophotometer, FTIR, and HRTEM. The optimum condition of photocatalytic degradation of MB exhibited at pH 10 with the addition of 3 mL N-doped CNDs under 14.5 W Philips LED irradiation with 97.2% degradation efficiency.