Morphology-engineered Ag/ZnO coral-like nanoplates for visible-light photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange and decolorization of palm oil mill effluent
4 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University Nakhon Pathom 73170 Thailand
- 2National Nanotechnology Center, National Science and Technology Development Agency 111 Thailand Science Park Pathum Thani 12120 Thailand
- 3Nanomaterials Centre, School of Chemical Engineering and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4123 Australia
- 4Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Burapha University Chon Buri 20131 Thailand
Abstract
Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a complex industrial wastewater containing high organic loads and persistent colored constituents that are not completely removed by conventional biological treatment processes. In this study, porous coral-like ZnO nanoplates were synthesized via a urea-assisted hydrothermal method and Ag-modified ZnO was prepared by introducing silver nitrate into the precursor mixture prior to hydrothermal treatment to enhance visible-light photocatalytic activity. The effects of urea concentration and Ag loading on the morphology, surface characteristics, optical properties, and photocatalytic performance of the materials were systematically investigated. Among the pristine ZnO samples, ZnO-16U exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity, achieving approximately 90% methyl orange (MO) degradation under UV irradiation after 120 min despite having the lowest BET surface area, indicating that photocatalytic performance was governed by a combination of structural accessibility and optical/electronic properties. Ag incorporation markedly enhanced visible-light activity, with 5 wt% Ag/ZnO achieving approximately 92% MO degradation and 85% decolorization of post-treated POME after 120 min. For post-treated POME, 5 wt% Ag/ZnO also achieved 83% COD removal and 82% TOC removal, demonstrating substantial reduction of the residual organic load. The enhanced activity was associated with improved visible-light absorption through Ag-induced localized surface plasmon resonance and more efficient interfacial charge separation within the Ag/ZnO heterostructure. The 5 wt% Ag/ZnO catalyst retained approximately 79% POME decolorization after five reuse cycles, while very low Ag and Zn leaching indicated good material stability during repeated operation. The results demonstrate that combining morphology-engineered ZnO with Ag modification provides an effective strategy for developing visible-light-responsive photocatalysts for dye-contaminated water and post-treated POME from palm oil milling operations.
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BibTeX
@article{peerakiatkhajohn2026morphologyengineered,
title = {{Morphology-engineered Ag/ZnO coral-like nanoplates for visible-light photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange and decolorization of palm oil mill effluent}},
author = {Piangjai Peerakiatkhajohn and Teera Butburee and Miaoqiang Lyu and Salwatee Yu-soh and Padsiriporn Budwang and Supphasin Thaweesak},
journal = {RSC advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d6ra06010b},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13720777},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Morphology-engineered Ag/ZnO coral-like nanoplates for visible-light photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange and decolorization of palm oil mill effluent
AU - Piangjai Peerakiatkhajohn
AU - Teera Butburee
AU - Miaoqiang Lyu
AU - Salwatee Yu-soh
AU - Padsiriporn Budwang
AU - Supphasin Thaweesak
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - RSC advances
DO - 10.1039/d6ra06010b
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13720777
AB - Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a complex industrial wastewater containing high organic loads and persistent colored constituents that are not completely removed by conventional biological treatment processes. In this study, porous coral-like ZnO nanoplates were synthesized via a urea-assisted hydrothermal method and Ag-modified ZnO was prepared by introducing silver nitrate into the precursor mixture prior to hydrothermal treatment to enhance visible-light photocatalytic activity. The effects of urea concentration and Ag loading on the morphology, surface characteristics, optical properties, and photocatalytic performance of the materials were systematically investigated. Among the pristine ZnO samples, ZnO-16U exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity, achieving approximately 90% methyl orange (MO) degradation under UV irradiation after 120 min despite having the lowest BET surface area, indicating that photocatalytic performance was governed by a combination of structural accessibility and optical/electronic properties. Ag incorporation markedly enhanced visible-light activity, with 5 wt% Ag/ZnO achieving approximately 92% MO degradation and 85% decolorization of post-treated POME after 120 min. For post-treated POME, 5 wt% Ag/ZnO also achieved 83% COD removal and 82% TOC removal, demonstrating substantial reduction of the residual organic load. The enhanced activity was associated with improved visible-light absorption through Ag-induced localized surface plasmon resonance and more efficient interfacial charge separation within the Ag/ZnO heterostructure. The 5 wt% Ag/ZnO catalyst retained approximately 79% POME decolorization after five reuse cycles, while very low Ag and Zn leaching indicated good material stability during repeated operation. The results demonstrate that combining morphology-engineered ZnO with Ag modification provides an effective strategy for developing visible-light-responsive photocatalysts for dye-contaminated water and post-treated POME from palm oil milling operations.
SN - 2046-2069
ER -