IRON OXIDE IMPREGNATED BIOCHAR BiVO4 NANOCOMPOSITES FOR WATER AND SOIL DETOXIFICATION

Abstract

newline Abstract newlineThe designing of semiconductor nano-heterojunctions has been proved to be a successful strategy for developing more efficient photocatalysts than single semiconductor. This lab scale work explains the strategy to design such composites. Fe3O4/BiVO4 (FB) and Fe3O4/BiVO4/Biochar (FBB) nanocomposites were synthesized by in-situ route. Biochar sample was produced from the bark and needles of pinus roxburghii biomass. These nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Tansmission electron microscopy (TEM), Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) etc. The photocatalytical activity of as synthesized FB heterojunction towards the degradation of methylparaben (MeP, a widely used preservative with estrogenic activity) and reduction of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) was tested under the sunlight. Futerthermore the photocatalytical activity was compared with the FBB nanocomposite. It was observed that FBB showed better results than FB. The photocatalytical activities of composites can be ascribed to the heterojunction. newlineBoth the magnetic nanocomposites were capable of scavenging oil from water as determined from oil sorption studies. We investigated the effectiveness of biochar in reducing the bioavailability of pesticide (Thiophanate methyl) in soil. We also studied the effect of pinus biochar on the nitrogen content, carbonate content and total organic carbon of the soil