Sugarcane bagasse biochar functionalized with ZnO via zinc hydroxychloride thermal conversion for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of paracetamol
Abstract
Abstract The increasing contamination of water resources by pharmaceutical residues requires efficient and scalable advanced oxidation technologies. In this work, a zinc oxide-functionalized biochar (ZnO@BC) composite was synthesized via thermal conversion using sugarcane bagasse and zinc hydroxychloride (ZHC)as precursor materials. The synthesized photocatalyst was evaluated for the degradation of paracetamol (PCT) in aqueous solution under UV/Visible light irradiation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) confirmed the success-ful integration of crystalline ZnO nanoparticles onto the porous carbon matrix. Batch photocatalytic experiments demonstrated that ZnO@BC achieved over 78% PCT removal within 90 min, outperforming commercial ZnO nanoparticles. Non-linear pseudo-first-order kinetic modeling revealed a rate constant for ZnO@BC (k 1 = 0.0207 min −1 ) significantly higher than that of pristine ZnO (k 1 = 0.0079 min −1 ). Scavenging assays indicated that hydroxyl (HO•) and superoxide O 2 •− ) radicals, along with photogenerated holes (h+), are the main reactive species involved in the degradation process. Overall, the ZnO@BC composite represents a promising, low-cost material derived from agro-industrial waste for application in advanced wastewater treatment
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