Transition metal incorporated, modified bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) nano photo catalyst for deterioration of rosaniline hydrochloride dye as resource for environmental rehabilitation

The work presented here deals with the fabrication of bare Bi2O3 and modified Bi2O3 photocatalyst. The Bi2O3 material was modified with selected transition metals Co2+, Ni2+ with the 1% and 3% atomic weight percent insitu doping method via co-precipitation strategy. These three catalysts were successfully utilized for the waste water purification via photocatalytic degradation route. These all fabricated materials were precisely characterized by characterization techniques such as XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, IR and UV-DRS. The characterization techniques reveal the successful synthesis of material and effective modification of bismuth oxide lattice. Since, surface area for modified Bi2O3 was found to be enhanced in comparison to the bare Bi2O3, as well as declined band gap energy for modified Bi2O3 clearly indicates the successful doping of Co2+, Ni2+ metals. The bare Bi2O3 and modified Bi2O3 catalyst were employed for photocatalytic degradation of cationic dye R-HCl dye. The modified Bi2O3 found to be excellent over degradation efficiency of R-HCl with almost 97% of dye degradation in comparison to the bare Bi2O3. Reactive oxygen species experiment demonstrate that the addition of isopropyl alcohol (IPA), benzoquinone (BQ) and EDTA found to be successful to quench .OH, O2.- and h+ in photocatalysis mechanism. Additionally, the modified Bi2O3 was employed for phenol molecule degradation to investigate the possible excitation of this molecule under visible light irradiation. [Display omitted] •Sol-gel synthesis of Co2+, Ni2+ modified Bi2O3 nanoparticles.•Photo degradation of Rosaniline Hydrochloride (R-HCl) dye by modified Bi2O3 photocatalyst.•Improved surface area and lower band gap energy of 3% Co2+, Ni2+ Bi2O3 removed 97% of R-HCl dye in aqueous media.•LC-MS analysis of degraded dye sample confirmed mineralization of R-HCl dye.•Detection of ROS by scavenging study and reusability for multiple cycles.