The effect of sago starch concentration on the ability of Fe2o3-porous ceramic for phenol photodegradation

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of sago starch concentration on the ability of porous ceramics as Fe2O3 support catalyst in phenol degradation. Porous ceramics were synthesized by low-toxicity gelcasting method using clay as raw material and sago starch as a binder and pore former with various concentrations of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a dispersant. The results showed that the average pore size of ceramics using the bubble point method was 1.33 µm. It is supported by the SEM results, which show the formation of pores after sintering. Fe2O3 -porous ceramic was synthesized by impregnation of Fe2O3 into porous ceramic by adsorption and sol-gel coating method. The resulting Fe2O3-porous ceramic was used to degrade phenol. The results of the characterization of the Fe2O3-porous ceramic using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) showed that the highest Fe2O3 content occurred at a concentration of 6% sago starch at 23.24% and a concentration of 4% at 33.15% by adsorption and sol-gel coating methods, respectively. The results of phenol degradation showed that the highest photodegradation occurred in the Fe2O3-porous ceramic adsorption method of 58.01%. Furthermore, characterization was carried out using X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), indicating that the Fe2O3-porous ceramic adsorption method had higher distribution, lattice strain, and crystallinity of Fe2O3 catalyst compared to the Fe2O3-porous ceramic with sol-gel coating method.