| Authors | Ahmad Aryafar,Dr.Moones Honarmand,seyede sajede rezaei,Atena Naeimi |
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| Journal | Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry |
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| Page number | 116314-116326 |
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| Serial number | 464 |
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| Volume number | 464 |
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| IF | 2.625 |
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| Paper Type | Full Paper |
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| Published At | 2025 |
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| Journal Type | Typographic |
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| Journal Country | Iran, Islamic Republic Of |
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| Journal Index | JCR،Scopus |
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Abstract
The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the environment has caused global concerns due to their
adverse effects on living organisms. Photocatalysts have emerged as a suitable solution for this problem. The
present study introduces an innovative approach in which a magnetic ternary heterojunction photocatalyst based
on spinel zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4), tri-cobalt tetraoxide (Co3O4), and bentonite was synthesized. The photocatalytic
degradation of naphthalene was carried out by ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4 under solar irradiation. The effects of
six operating conditions including photolysis, adsorption, type of catalyst, dosage of photocatalyst, initial
naphthalene concentration, and initial pH value were checked experimentally. Under optimized conditions, the
ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4 heterojunction photocatalyst could altogether remove naphthalene. In addition, a high
potential was observed in the practical application of the ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4 system for the degradation of
naphthalene in tap water, seawater, wastewater and soil contaminated with naphthalene. The impact of irrigation
on the growth of wheat plants was evaluated. It was proved that the ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4 system
could degrade naphthalene into non-toxic intermediates, and the seed germination rate was even higher using
treated water compared to distilled water. Quench experiments determined that all the active species participated
in the photodegradation of naphthalene over ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4, and based on the findings, the Sscheme
mechanism was proposed. The reusability of ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4 magnetic photocatalyst was
examined and approximately 16% decrease in naphthalene degradation efficiency was observed after three
consecutive runs. Overall, this study opened a new perspective for the practical application of magnetic heterojunction
photocatalysts in the degradation of persistent organic pollutants in aqueous solutions and soil.
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