Simultaneous elimination of toxic dyes, ciprofloxacin and Cr(vi) contents from polluted water: escalating surface plasmon electrons of Ag cocatalysts on BiVO4 microstructures

Abstract

The coexistence of organic contaminants and Cr metal in industrial sewage pollutes drinking water reservoirs. These toxins produce consistent health issues not only for the aquatic but also for terrestrial life. This project aims to eliminate selective organic dyes, and ciprofloxacin (CIP) and Cr(VI) contents from the water of various industrial zones of Pakistan. To remove these contaminants effectively, BiVO₄ and silver deposited (Ag–BiVO₄) catalysts were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment. The morphologies of the as-prepared catalysts were evaluated and confirmed via XRD, FT-IR, Raman, SEM and AFM analysis, whereas the optical characteristics and chemical composition were obtained by UV-vis-DRS, PL, EDX and XPS techniques. BET analysis was conducted for the pore volume and surface area measurements. UV-vis spectrophotometry (PerkinElmer λ-365) was used to monitor the photocatalytic dye degradation reactions. Results of this project depict that the as prepared Ag–BiVO₄ catalysts have the ability to remove 92.6% of methylene blue (MB), 66.8% of rhodamine B (RhB), 99.2% of crystal violet (CV), and 98.6% of Congo red (CR). Similarly, 98.2% of ciprofloxacin (CIP) and 95.63% of Cr(VI) were eliminated simultaneously from contaminated water. The higher catalytic efficiencies were attributed to the surface plasmon electrons of silver and formation of a Schottky junction on BiVO₄ surfaces. In addition, the effect of pH on catalytic activities was optimised. On the basis of results, it could be concluded that this work has the potential to remove toxic contents from polluted water that can diminish the health issues in aquatic and terrestrial life.