Elimination of synthetic dyes by clamshell derived photo-active hydroxyapatite

Herein, a novel designed hydroxyapatite (HAp) derived from freshly calcined clamshell waste through the wet precipitation method was synthesized. HAp has been developed as a heterogeneous photocatalyst for the anionic dye methyl orange (MO) degradation. The pH on synthesizing HAp was varied in basic conditions. The results show HAp formed at pH more than 10. The MO photodegradation was done under UV-light irradiation for 120 min. HAp catalyst showed the optimum MO degradation efficiency using rod-like structure HAp synthesized at pH 12. HAp with optimum photodegradation efficiency was optimized for the catalyst loading and the pH of the MO solution. MO at pH 6 with 0.05 g catalyst loading showed the highest degradation efficiency around 97 % using HAp prepared at pH 12 with band gap at 4.990 eV. This finding brings a new insight on natural sources materials as photo-active in sustainable of persistent water pollutants. [Display omitted] •Synthesis of HAp derived from clamshell waste as a source of calcium carbonate.•HAp was applied as a photocatalyst for methyl orange degradation.•Photodegradation of methyl orange reached 97 % within 120 min under UV light irradiation.