Facile Synthesis of Tin‐Doped Copper Oxide Loaded on Almond Shell Activated Carbon Composite for the Photodegradation of Organic Pollutants Under Sunlight

ABSTRACT With a wide range of development opportunities, photocatalytic technology provides a potent solution to today's energy and environmental issues. In this study, a tin‐doped copper oxide nanoparticle loaded on almond shell activated carbon (Sn: CuO/ASAC) were prepared and thoroughly examined and described using UV‐DRS, XRD, BET, FT‐IR, SEM with EDS, and XPS. Band gap energy was decreased and visible absorbance was increased as a result of Sn‐doping and ASAC loading. Therefore, by altering batch experimental conditions such starting pH and the quantity of Sn‐doped CuO loaded on ASAC composite, all the product samples were employed for MB dye degradation from aqueous solution under sunlight. The obtained results revealed that >99.37% MB removal over composite sample was achieved within 90 min by using 1.2 g L −1 adsorbent dosage, 40‐mg/L MB at weakly alkaline pH values. The kinetics study accurately describes the MB degradation rates, revealing a high rate constant of 0.052 min −1 for the composite samples as compared to other samples. The photocatalytic mechanism of the composite was studied by radical scavenging tests of the Sn: CuO/ASAC. These findings suggested that the ASAC composite loaded with Sn‐doped CuO could be considered as a dye wastewater treatment technique.