Green synthesis of novel Zn0.5Ni0.5FeCrO4 spinel magnetic nanoparticles: Photodegradation of 4-nitrophenol and aniline under visible light irradiation.

This study explores novel nanoparticles used in environmental remediation of 4-nitrophenol and aniline from wastewater bodies. The Zn0.5Ni0.5FeCrO4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized using tragacanth gel as a green, low-cost, and easy sol-gel method. The MNPs were characterized by XRD, XPS, FT-IR, VSM, TEM, EDX, FESEM, BET, DRS, and elemental mapping. The analysis demonstrated that nanoparticles have a spinel cubic structure, spatial distribution of the elements, ferromagnetic activity, narrow bandgap, and uniform morphology. Furthermore, effectiveness of the developed MNPs to degrade recalcitrant organic pollutants such as 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and aniline under visible light exposure were studied. The results indicated 95% aniline and 80% of 4-NP were successfully degraded in 180 and 150 min, respectively. The total organic carbon (TOC) analysis revealed 65% and 54% removal of aniline and 4-NP. LC-MS was employed to elucidate the photodegradation mechanism and to identify the degradation products, including small fragmented molecules.