Construction of ZnS/montmorillonite/graphitic Carbon Nitride as Adsorbent and Photocatalyst for the Removal of Rhodamine B

In this work, the ZnS/montmorillonite/graphitic carbon nitride (ZnS/MMT/g-C3N4) as a novel composite was synthesized through simple strategy. The addition of MMT showed positive impact for increasing the specific surface area of g-C3N4, and the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 was achieved higher by using ZnS as a semiconductor. Several techniques were applied to evidence the formation of the as-synthesized composite such as X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-visible light diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The adsorption and photocatalytic activities of ZnS/MMT/g-C3N4 were evaluated for the removal of Rhodamine B (Rh. B). Response surface methodology was used to study the important parameters and their interaction in the adsorption process. The pH, adsorbent dose, and dye concentration were shown the effect on the adsorption process, and the adsorption process was corresponded to Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The photocatalytic activity of ZnS/MMT/g-C3N4 was studied under several condition, which the best results were obtained 93% yield under ultra violet irradiation. This study presents a novel adsorbent and photocatalyst composite with high yield for the removal of Rh. B dye.