Effect of temperature on the properties of ZnO/activated carbon composites from spent catalysts containing zinc acetate

After being subjected to conventional thermal treatment, a carbon-based spent catalyst from vinyl acetate synthesis has been proved to be a good precursor for the production of ZnO/activated carbon composites. Such composites can be used as photocatalysts for the removal of pollutants from wastewaters. Different operating temperatures were found to influence the properties of the final composites. As the temperature rises, the surface area of the activated carbon that is acting as catalyst support increases due to the decomposition of the organic deposits that are blocking the porous structure. XRD was used to evaluate the transformation of zinc acetate to zinc oxide after thermal treatment, showing higher crystal sizes with the rise in temperature. Both the adsorption capacity and the yield of the resulting composites were calculated and SEM-EDX analysis was used to evaluate the changes in surface morphology.