Photocatalytic properties of PbMoO4 synthesized by co-precipitation method: organic dyes degradation under UV irradiation

PbMoO 4 molybdate with scheelite structure was synthesized by a simple co-precipitation method. The material was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and adsorption–desorption N 2 isotherms (BET). The photocatalytic activity of PbMoO 4 molybdate was evaluated with the degradation reactions of rhodamine B (rhB), indigo carmine (IC), orange G (OG), and methyl orange (MO) under UV irradiation. In order to elucidate aspects of the degradation mechanism of the organic dyes, some experimental variables were modified such as pH and O 2 level in solution. The total organic carbon (TOC) analysis of samples irradiated revealed that mineralization of organic dyes by the action of PbMoO 4 was feasible in rhB (60%), IC (80%), and OG (65%) after 96 h of irradiation. For the same time of irradiation, a recalcitrant behavior to the mineralization was observed in MO reaching only a 10% of mineralization degree.