Synthesize, characterization and activity test of Fe2O3 immobilized in SiO2 from bamboo leaves for methylene blue photooxidation

It has been conducted a research on the producing of iron-silica oxide (Fe2O3@SiO2) composite made from bamboo leaves and its application as a photocatalyst for photodegradation of methylene blue. The bamboo leaves were calcinated at the temperature of 600 °C to produce bamboo leaves ash. The preparation of silica (SiO2) was performed by reflux method from bamboo leaves ash. Meanwhile, the iron-silica oxide (Fe2O3@SiO2) composite was prepared by using 0.17 M FeCl3, 0.4 M NaOH, and silica (SiO2). The characterization of the composite was performed by SEM-EDX, DR-UV, GSA, and XRD. The photocatalyst activity test for photooxidation of methylene blue was carried out in a closed reactor equipped with UV light. In the photocatalyst activity test studied the effect of the weight of the catalyst on the time variation and the effect of variations in the concentration of methylene blue in the photooxidation process. The results of the photocatalyst activity test were analyzed using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The test results showed that the weight of the catalyst depends on the concentration of methylene blue used, wherein methylene blue 5 ppm and 10 ppm the optimum catalyst weight was at 0.01 gram and in methylene blue 20 ppm the optimum catalyst weight was at 0.1 gram. The photocatalyst activity test on the variation of methylene blue concentration showed that the higher the concentration of methylene blue was analyzed, the ability of iron-silica oxide (Fe2O3@SiO2) on methylene blue photooxidation decreased and the optimum methylene blue concentration was 5 ppm.