Abstract
A highly solar active gelatin assisted ZnO (g/ZnO) was successfully synthesized by a sol-gel method. The photocatalyst was characterized by FE-SEM, HR-TEM, XRD, DRS, PL, FT-IR and Raman spectra. The prepared ZnO and g/ZnO were effectively utilized for toxic AB 1 azo dye degradation under direct sunlight. About 100% of degradation occurred with g/ZnO in a shorter time compared with prepared ZnO. The higher efficiency of g/ZnO in azo dye degradation under solar light may be due to higher visible light absorbance of g/ZnO compared with the prepared ZnO. A suitable degradation mechanism was proposed for AB 1 degradation under sunlight by g/ZnO. The g/ZnO was found to be sable and reusable. The addition of scavengers contributes a significant decrease in the photodegradation efficiency of the catalyst.
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•g-ZnO was prepared by a sol-gel method.•g/ZnO effectively utilized for AB 1 degradation under direct sunlight.•Noble metal free g/ZnO could be a cost effective photocatalyst for effluent treatment.