Tribocatalytic dye degradation using BiVO4

The solid-state route, conducted at a temperature of 700 °C over a span of 8 h, resulted in the production of a single phase of BiVO4 powder. Subsequently, the BiVO4 powder was used as a tribocatalyst to facilitate the degradation of the methylene blue (MB) dye, Rhodomine B (RB), and tetracycline pollutant. The confirmation of phase formation was achieved by employing X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The synthesised BiVO4 powder was utilized as a tribocatalyst, where the maximum degradation for MB dye, RB dye, and tetracycline was observed to be ∼69 %, ∼74 %, and ∼49 in 24 h in a glass-PTFE interface system. The present work provides a systematic representation of the effect of speed (in rpm) in the tribocatalysis process. The findings derived from the scavenger test reveal that the mechanism of tribocatalysis in the degradation of MB dye is influenced by the presence of superoxide radicals (• O2−), which serve as the primary active species.