g-C3N4/CuO loaded polyester fabric as effective Fenton-like dip-catalyst for the oxidation of dyes

This work aims to assess the catalytic efficiency for the degradation of organic dyes through advanced oxidation using a novel catalyst PE/g-C3N4-CuO. Polyester (PE) serves as an inert support, while the active catalyst comprises nanoparticles of graphitic carbon nitride g-C3N4-and copper oxide (CuO). The PE/g-C3N4-CuO was successfully prepared by sonicating g-C3N4 onto the PE matrix followed by the deposition of CuO nanoparticles, an efficient and reusable "dip catalyst". Various physicochemical techniques have been employed to characterize the synthesized g-C3N4, CuO, and PE/g-C3N4-CuO such as FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS and TGA. The composite is used for the oxidation of MB, MO, CR and RhB dyes via advanced oxidation process in presence of H2O2 as oxidant. In addition, the impacts of several parameters, such as pH, catalyst surface, CuO loading (%), H2O2 and MB concentration, on the degradation kinetics were thoroughly examined. A removal efficiency (94 %) of MB and TOC (80 %) has been attained for 30 min of the reaction using a surface of 4 cm2 PE/5%g-C3N4-10%CuO. The synthetized composite presented high stability after five reaction cycles with no discernible decrease in catalytic activity. Furthermore, OH were determined as the main reactive oxidative species (ROSs) responsible for highly efficient MB degradation. Finally, catalyst stability and recyclability demonstrated that the PE/g-C3N4-CuO might serve as a substitute Fenton-like catalyst for the oxidation of dyes and environmental cleanup.