Highly efficient degradation of dye pollutants by magnetic halloysite Clay

Halloysite nanotube/γ-Fe۲O۳ nanocatalyst (denoted as MHC) was prepared via the precipitation method and utilized as a potential nanocatalyst for methylene blue (MB) degradation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxylamine. The structure, morphology and magnetic properties of prepared sorbent was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and vibration sample magnetometer (VSM). The catalytic activity of the fabricated heterogeneous nanocatalyst for MB degradation was examined in the presence of H۲O۲ and NH۲OH. The influence of various parameters on the degradation of MB was evaluated. Under these conditions, complete degradation of ۵۰ mg L−۱ MB was achieved in ۲۰ min. Meanwhile, the high saturation magnetization value (۲۴.۸۶ emu g−۱) of the MHC nanocatalyst was favorable for the separation and recycling of the catalyst from the reaction media after the catalytic reactions. Furthermore, there was no noticeable decline observed even after undergoing up to five adsorption cycles, suggesting that the MHC nanocatalyst exhibits excellent stability and can be reused effectively.

Keywords:

Degradation , Halloysite , Methylene blue , Catalytic activity