Efficient sonocatalytic degradation of heavy metal and organic pollutants using CuS/MoS2 nanocomposites

Ranjith Kumar Dharman; Kiran P Shejale; Sung Yeol Kim

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135415

Efficient sonocatalytic degradation of heavy metal and organic pollutants using CuS/MoS₂ nanocomposites

Chemosphere. 2022 Oct:305:135415. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135415. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Authors

Ranjith Kumar Dharman¹, Kiran P Shejale², Sung Yeol Kim³

Affiliations

¹ School of Mechanical Engineering, Kyungpook National Engineering, Daegu, South Korea; School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 38541, Republic of Korea.
² School of Mechanical Engineering, Kyungpook National Engineering, Daegu, South Korea.
³ School of Mechanical Engineering, Kyungpook National Engineering, Daegu, South Korea; Department of Hydrogen and Renewable Energy, School of Convergence, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: sykim.knu@gmail.com.

PMID: 35750232
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135415

Abstract

Eco-friendly and highly effective catalysts are receiving considerable attention for the removal of heavy-metal ions and organic pollutants. In this study, we developed CuS/MoS₂ nanocomposite sonocatalysts to enhance the degradation rate of environmental contaminants by harnessing ultrasonic irradiation. The successful synthesis of nanocomposite sonocatalysts was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The incorporation of CuS into MoS₂ resulted in a flower-like structure with an increased surface area. Importantly, the sonocatalytic efficiency was enhanced by increasing CuS concentration in the nanocomposites, achieving maximum removal efficiencies of 99% and 88.52% for rhodamine B (RhB) and Cr(VI), respectively. In addition, they showed excellent stability and recyclability over five consecutive cycles, without noticeable changes in the nanocomposite structure. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) used for the degradation were identified using ROS scavengers. We believe that this strategy of exploiting nanocomposite sonocatalysts has a great potential in the field of environmental catalysis.

Keywords: Cr(VI); CuS; MoS(2); RhB; Sonocatalytic degradation.

MeSH terms

Catalysis
Copper
Environmental Pollutants*
Molybdenum
Nanocomposites* / chemistry
Reactive Oxygen Species

Substances

Environmental Pollutants
Reactive Oxygen Species
Copper
Molybdenum
cupric sulfide