Preparation of magnetically separable and low-cost MC-FePd3NPs with enhanced catalytic activity in the reduction of p-nitrophenol.

To obtain a magnetically separable, low-cost and highly efficient reduction catalyst, microbial carbon-loaded bimetallic palladium/iron nanoparticles (MC-FePd3NPs) were synthesized in this study by using waste yeast residue doped with iron during the preparation process of microbial carbon-loaded monometallic palladium nanoparticles (MC-Pd NPs). The morphology, crystal structure, magnetic properties and catalytic performance of MC-FePd3NPs for the reduction ofp-nitrophenol (p-NP) were investigated by various characterization techniques, such as SEM-EDS, TEM, XRD, PPMS-9 and UV-vis spectroscopy. The catalytic experiments showed that the MC-FePd3NPs prepared under pyrolysis conditions at 700 °C had an apparent rate constant of 1.85 × 10-1s-1which is better than the rate constants of MC-Pd NPs and other palladium-based nanocatalytic materials reported so far. The amount of palladium used in the synthesis of MC-FePd3NPs was half that of MC-Pd NPs. The catalyst exhibited soft magnetic ordering behavior and still showed a catalytic efficiency of 97.4% after five consecutive reaction cycles. Furthermore, employing MC-FePd3NPs reduces the costs of catalyst preparation and use in production. MC-FePd3NPs with efficient catalytic properties, facile magnetic separation and recyclability, and low costs of preparation and use have considerable potential for industrial applications.