Rapid and facile preparation of zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) oxide by microwave-solvothermal technique and its catalytic activity in heterogeneous photo-Fenton reaction

In this work zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) oxide was rapidly and easily prepared by microwave-solvothermal route and its catalytic property in photo-Fenton reaction was evaluated. The effects of microwave heating time and power on the properties of produced particles were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms were the techniques used for characterizing the solid products. The synthesized material was tested as a catalyst in the degradation of the textile dye molecule by the heterogeneous photo-Fenton process. Characterization results showed that the microwave heating time and power have significant influences on the formation of the phase spinel as well as on its physical properties. The reaction results showed that the ZnFe2O4 oxide has good photocatalytic activity, which can be attributed to high surface area and pore volume, and large pore size. The ZnFe2O4 oxide produced by the microwave irradiation exhibited promising photocatalytic activity for the removal of textile dye, reaching nearly 100% of decolorization at 40 min and 60% of mineralization at 240 min. Therefore, ZnFe2O4 particles rapidly prepared by the microwave route have the potential for use in treatment of textile wastewater by the heterogeneous photo-Fenton process.