Effectiveness of photocatalysis of Fe₇₈Si₉B₁₃/TiO₂ composites for acid orange 7 degradation

Owing to the growing contamination of waterways by azo dyes, the intermediate chemicals formed when these colors break down in anaerobic settings by microbes are carcinogenic and teratogenic, endangering both human health and the environment. As a result, in the realm of environmental remediation, the best way to remove azo dyes in wastewater has recently become a focus of research. In this work, the target degradant, Acid Orange 7 (AO7), was used to prepare Fe₇₈Si₉B₁₃/TiO₂ composites for use as photocatalysts hydrothermally. The samples’ surface morphology and crystal structure were assessed using fluorescence spectroscopy (PL), UV-visible diffuse reflectance (DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). To investigate the effects of varying solution pH, Fe₇₈Si₉B₁₃ composite volume, hydrothermal temperature, hydrothermal time, and catalyst dosage on the photocatalytic degradation performance of AO7, a 500 W xenon lamp was employed as a light source to replicate visible light. The findings demonstrated that the composites’ highest photocatalytic activity was attained under the following conditions: solution pH = 3.0, visible light irradiation period of 120 min, hydrothermal temperature of 180 °C, hydrothermal time of 24 h, Fe₇₈Si₉B₁₃ composite volume of 5%, and catalyst dose of 0.8 g·L⁻¹. The AO7 solution degraded at a rate of 94.36%, the mineralization rate was 43.71%, and the reaction rate constant was 0.0232 min⁻¹. A suitable concentration of Fe₇₈Si₉B₁₃ composite can decrease the TiO₂ forbidden bandwidth, stimulate the absorption of visible light, and impede photogenerated electron-hole complexation. Fe₇₈Si₉B₁₃/TiO₂, which can be employed as a catalyst for the effective treatment of dye wastewater, is furthermore distinguished by great cyclic stability and high catalytic efficiency.