Study on Adsorption and Photocatalytic Properties of Zinc Ferrite

In this study, methyl orange, methylene blue, and amido black 10B were removed as target dyes using purified, synthetic, and purchased zinc ferrite as adsorbents and photocatalysts. The highest removal rates of amido black 10B by these adsorbents ranged from 81.62% to 88.33%. The removal rate of methyl orange was approximately 1%, and the removal rate of methylene blue was approximately 2%. Hence, an investigation was conducted to elucidate the factors that influence the removal efficacy of purified zinc ferrite on amido black 10B. Titanium dioxide prepared at different calcination temperatures was unsuccessful in removing amido black 10B, but the physical mixing of titanium dioxide prepared at suitable calcination temperatures with purified zinc ferrite had a positive effect on amido black 10B removal. Since zinc ferrite could not be used as an adsorbent to remove methyl orange and methylene blue, the photocatalytic degradation properties of zinc ferrite and its influencing factors were studied. The optimal conditions for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and methyl orange by zinc ferrite are as follows: a zinc ferrite catalyst dosage of 0.15 g, an initial solution concentration of 20 mg/L, and a pH of 6.0. The dosage of the zinc ferrite/titanium dioxide composite catalyst is 0.15 g, the initial solution concentration is 20 mg/L, and the pH is 6.5.