An efficient CeGeO4 catalyst for degradation of organic dyes without light irradiation at room temperature

• A new catalyst, CeGeO4 was successfully developed.
• Factors affecting formation of CeGeO4 was investigated.
• CeGeO4 can catalyze dye degradation without light illumination at room temperature.
• Catalytic activity of CeGeO4 is significantly higher than CeGeO4/CeO2 or CeO2.
• Crystalline phase of CeGeO4 is stable during degradation.

In comparison with photocatalytic process, the catalytic degradation of organic dye pollutants in no need of light irradiation is highly interesting from the energy-saving point of view. In this paper, we developed a new CeGeO4 catalyst that can satisfy the energy-saving requirements in this regard. During the synthesis of CeGeO4, the influence of synthetic medium pH, the kind of precursor, etc., on the formation of crystalline CeGeO4 was investigated in detail. Importantly, the CeGeO4 catalyst exhibited significantly higher performance than that of CeGeO4/CeO2 or CeO2 in degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) or methylene blue (MB) in the dark at room temperature.

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