Photocatalytic and Adsorption Performance of Averrhoa carambola Leaf mediated AC@ZnO Nanomaterial: A green approach

Abstract Averrhoa carambola L. leaf extract was used in this study to synthesis zinc oxide nanoparticles and activated carbon loaded zinc oxide. The prepared nanomaterial was used as a photocatalytic degradation and biosorbent to remove the cationic dye, Methylene Blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and FTIR were used to confirm the formation of zinc oxide nanoparticles and AC@ZnO. The experimental procedure involved a batch adsorption process, wherein several key parameters such as contact time, biosorbent dosage, dye concentration, and pH were systematically varied to investigate their impact on both photocatalytic and adsorption capacities. The MB may bond more successfully in an alkaline pH environment. When tested the Boyd, intra particle diffusion, and pseudo-second order kinetic models accurately represented the adsorption kinetics. The equilibrium data were modelled with the Harkins-Jura, Freundlich, D-R, and Langmuir isotherms. In comparison to ZnO NPs, the AC@ZnO sample has higher photocatalytic activity, as evidenced by the photocatalytic degradation of MB dye and the results. AC@ZnO out performed ZnO in terms of both adsorption and photocatalytic degradation. These findings show the cooperative action of ZnO (photocatalysts) and AC (adsorption) in the synthesis of the AC@ZnO sample. The results provide conclusive proof that AC@ZnONps is an effective material for removing MB dye from waste water.