Synthesis and characterization of iron incoporated metal-organic framework (MOF) photocatalyst in degradation of methylene blue

Catalysis for environmental remediation is becoming of paramount importance as industrial and urban activities multiply, and by-products contaminate soils and wastewater. Effluents from industrial and urban activities have led to many environmental problems involving water contamination. Here, we propose a new iron-incorporated metal-organic framework (MOF) photocatalyst to decontaminate water. The nanocatalyst was synthesized by the solvothermal method, and Fe was added to the structure as a promoter and active phase. In this study, we examined the degradation of methylene blue (MB) as a cationic azo dye. The nanocatalysts were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, BET, NH3-TPD, and FTIR techniques. The results showed high crystallinity, a large specific surface area, and a uniform promoter distribution. At a pH = 9, a catalyst amount of 110 mg and an initial MB concentration in the effluent of 2 ppm resulted in the highest removal percentage (98 %). The kinetic analysis provided a quasi-first-order model that reasonably matched the experimental data (R2 = 95 %). The results verified the catalyst’s great capability for efficient and fast MB removal in 60 minutes of photocatalytic processing.