Synthesis of g-C3N4/ZnO/WO3 nanocomposite as a highly efficient antibacterial adsorbent for water treatment

The design of highly efficient adsorbents for the extraction of dye molecules from wastewater is currently in great demand due to the widespread of polluted water. A simple in-situ procedure was utilized to produce a ternary g-C3N4/ZnO/WO3 nanostructure composite that exhibits strong and fast adsorption properties for the removal of methylene blue. In addition, the antibacterial characteristics of produced ternary samples were studied. Adsorption measurements were taken in a systematic manner to examine the effects of initial methylene blue concentrations, the composition of samples, contact time temperature, adsorbent amount, and pH value on dye removal. The results showed that the ternary g-C3N4/ZnO/WO3 composite adsorb more than 98 % of dye below 5 min. Although the surface area of the samples was reduced after making a ternary composite, the dye adsorption dramatically increased. The synergistic impact of g-C3N4, ZnO, and WO3, which creates the active sites, is largely responsible for powerful adsorption. Thermodynamic parameters of the synthesized samples were measured. The synthesized samples also showed good antibacterial characteristics against both Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.