Preparation of g-C3N4 /rGO nanocomposite to enhanced photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant in water

Organic pollutants in water and in the environment have created serious health risks for humans and the environment. Currently, efficient removal of organic pollutants from the wastewater has become an important issue for global societies due to its ecological and environmental importance. One of the methods for removing organic pollutants is the photocatalytic degradation of these materials. In this paper, a photocatalytic composite ofg-C3N4 (graphitic carbon nitride)/rGO (reduced graphene oxide) was prepared using the thermal conversion method from the thiourea/GO mixture. With the aim of improving the photocatalytic activity of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), the amount of graphene oxide in the nanocomposite was changed and the photocatalytic activity of these composites was investigated for the removal of Rhodamine B as an organic pollutant under visible light exposure. The concentration of remained Rhodamine B was determined by using UV-Visible spectroscopy. The best elimination result was obtained for the combination of g-C3N4.2%/rGO photocatalyst by eliminating 86.4% of pollutant in 20 minutes. This amount of degradation is very significant compared to the results of other researchers.