Preparation and properties of floral CaO/ZnO composite from Achatina fulica snail shell

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 28; no. 43; pp. 61841 - 61847
• Main Authors: Jiang, Qiushi, Han, Zhaolian, Yuan, Yafeng, Cheng, Zhiqiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.11.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Achatina fulica; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Chemical precipitation; Composite materials; Coprecipitation; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Electromagnetic absorption; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Photoelectric effect; Pollutants; Recyclability; Rhodamine; Short Research and Discussion Article; Spectroscopy; Ultraviolet spectroscopy; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Zinc oxide; ZnO; Rhodamine B; Microstructure; Photocatalyst; Sustainable material
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16260-9

In this study, CaO prepared by calcination treatment from abandoned Achatina fulica shell was used as a raw material, and the floral CaO/ZnO photocatalytic composite material was prepared through co-precipitation method. SEM study showed ZnO with spindle-like petals in the range of 500–1000 nm grown on the surface of CaO carrier. The mapping image shows that the base component of the floral structure is mainly CaO, which is because CaO is not only in the reaction as a carrier, but also creates an alkaline environment in the methanol system, which is advantageous for co-precipitation. UV-vis spectroscopy shows that the visible light absorption of composites has red shifts; besides, PL, EIS, and photocurrent test showed that the composites have stronger electronic hole separation capabilities. The visible light degradation test of rhodamine B showed that CaO/ZnO photocatalytic composite could degrade 90% of the pollutants in 25 min, superior to CaO and ZnO, exhibiting recyclability properties, which is a potential candidate with cost-effective and sustainable photocatalysts.