Effective Removal of Nitrobenzene under Visible Light by Coupled Grafted Cassava/ZnO in a Closed Photocatalytic Reaction Chamber

Abstract

Almost 95% oil of mirbane best known as Nitrobenzene is being used for the production of aniline precursor chemicals in pesticides, dyes, rubber and pharmaceuticals processing. Oil of mirbane is regarded highly toxic and easily absorbed through the skin with Threshold Limit Value 5 mg/m3. Recently, monitory of drinking water supply by some industries have identified the presence of this compound. The normal conventional methods are yet to achieve efficiently the complete degradation and removal of the nitrobenzene. This study aimed at characterizing and measuring the effective removal ability of this pollutant (oil of mirbane) through visible light photocatalysis by interacting with microwave prepared Coupled Grafted Cassava/ZnO nanocomposite material. Prepared nanocomposite powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscope. Optimal experimental conditions such as irradiation time, pollutant concentration and mass of catalyst (loading) were determined using the Closed Photocatalytic Reaction Chamber (CPRC) under visible light. Results obtained revealed the maximum catalyst and nitrobenzene concentration to be 1.0g and 30ppm respectively. The efficiency of Coupled Grafted Cassava/ZnO nanocomposite was found to be 86.7% after 120mins of photodegradation period which is higher as compared with the pure ZnO and the ordinary grafted cassava