Avaliação fotocatalítica de partículas semicondutoras baseadas em óxidos de zinco e cobalto obtidas por moagem de alta energia

Abstract

The dyes are dangerous compounds for the water environment; thus, numerous techniques have been developed for their treatment. The heterogeneous photocatalysis is a new alternative in this scope, especially in multicomponent systems. The aim of this research is to obtain semiconductors based on Zinc and Cobalt Oxides by the High Energy Ball Milling technique and evaluate the potential of the obtained materials to degrade Rhodamine-B dye. The physicochemical features of the starting materials were determined by different techniques of characterization. Dry milling was processed during 4 and 10 hours and wet milling (in isopropyl alcohol) at the same time. Heat-treatment was performed in the multicomponent system in order to correlate its effect in the materials properties. The obtained materials also were characterized by X-Ray diffraction; and some samples evaluated by thermal analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Dispersive Energy Spectroscopy; and the photocatalytic tests were carried out in ultraviolet photochemical reactor and adsorption tests were performed in the dark. The presence of residual organic matter after the photocatalytic processes were evaluated by the Consumed Oxygen Analysis, as well as the formation of organic subproducts were evaluated by the Fourier Transform Infrared. The results indicate that the major part of raw Zinc Oxide showed particles in submicrometer size whereas the Cobalt Oxide presented the same feature basically in micrometric size. The crystallographic structures of the Wurtzite for Zinc Oxide and Spinel for Cobalt Oxides, and that these phases are the same that ones after the milling process. The heat-treatment was efficient to promote solid solution between the oxides applied in this work. The reduction in particle size was dependent of conditions of the milling; wherein the sample composed of Zinc and Cobalt oxides milled by ten hours in wet media showed the best result in comminution process. The major part of the materials presented photocatalytic activity, with half-life time between 7.6 and 165.0 minutes. Among the materials composed by Zinc and Cobalt oxides, the sample milled by ten hours in wet media presented average values for apparent reaction ratio 56% greater compared to the raw material blend. Nevertheless, pure Zinc Oxide milled the dry media during four hours presented the best results with apparent reaction ratio 30% greater compared to the raw Zinc Oxide. There were no temporal behavior of the dye’s physisorption on the materials evaluated by the adsorption tests. Generally speaking, the Oxygen Consumed technique and Fourier Transform Infrared tests were concordant with each other inferring in the mineralization of the dye.