Preparation of cellulose/zinc oxide/graphene oxide ternary hybrid aerogel to photodestruction of anionic dye from aqueous environment

Abstract

A three dimensional cellulose/graphene oxide/ zinc oxide (C/GO/ZnO) ternary blend aerogel was synthesized through an easy and efficient freeze-drying technique. The synthesized C/GO/ZnO aerogel demonstrated best photodegradation performance and recyclability for methyl orange (MO), which was ascribed because of the existence of GO and ZnO. The impact of operational parameters for example photocatalyst amount, pH, irradiation time and irradiation intensity, the initial concentration of MO, and temperature on the photodestruction of MO was studied. The outcomes indicated that the maximum performance of decomposition was at pH: 3, Co: 15 mg/L, dosage (Dos): 40 mg, 250 W and T: 35 °C. Also, the aerogel can be simply reused and refined by distilled water. Next five cycles, the aerogel can preserve an excellent the photodegradation performance for MO (99%).