Silica Supported Copper-Nickel Oxide Catalyst for Photodegradation of Methylene Blue

Abstract

Organic wastes are often harmful for organisms living in water. The compounds may toxic and or carcinogenic. Many methods have been applied to minimize the organic wastes in water, one of which is through fotodegradation process using catalysts. This report is about the use of (Cu-Ni)Ox@SiO2 catalyst for photodegration the methylene blue under the sunlight exposure. A serial method of XRD, SEM-EDX and UV-visible spectroscopy has been used in the study. The catalyst adsorption test was carried out in the dark environment, whilst the catalyst activity test in photodegradation of methylene blue was performed under the sunlight. The measurements on (Cu-Ni)Ox@SiO2 catalyst clearly indicate the presence of tridymite silica (SiO2) with the particle size around 9 nm. The silica band gap energy decreases with the adsorption of copper and nickel on the surface of silica. The adsorption follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The (Cu-Ni)Ox@SiO2 is significantly catalyzed the degradation of methylene blue in water.