Preparation, Characterization, and Application of Nanospherical α-Fe2O3 Supported on Silica for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue

In the research, spherical α-Fe2O3 NanoParticles (NPs) were synthesized through Forced Hydrolysis and Reflux Condensation (FHRC) process and were supported on the surface of silica sand by Solid-State Dispersion (SSD) method. Characterization of silica and α-Fe2O3/SiO2 catalyst was done using Fourier-Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns and Brunauer, Emmet and Teller (BET) surface area. The supported α-Fe2O3/SiO2 nanocatalyst with the average crystallite size of 27.5 nm was used for photocatalytic removal of Methylene Blue (MB) from aqueous solutions under Ultra-Violet (UV) light. In order to optimization of effective parameters on MB degradation, the single-variable method was used. The optimal conditions were determined as pH=11, initial concentration of MB=10 ppm, and the mass of catalyst =1.0 g. Degradation efficiency in optimal conditions was 97.32%.