Enhanced catalytic activity of composites of NiFe2O4 and nano cellulose derived from waste biomass for the mitigation of organic pollutants

Abstract

This study reports facile in situ synthesis of magnetically retrievable nanocomposites of nanocellulose (derived from waste biomass) and NiFe2O4 nanoparticles using hydrothermal method. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized using various techniques such as FT-IR, powder XRD, HR-TEM, BET and VSM. The characterization of nanocomposites clearly revealed that NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were well dispersed on the surface of cellulose nanofibres. The catalytic performance of the synthesized nanocomposites was assessed for both the photocatalytic oxidation and reduction of organic pollutants. The prepared nanocomposites displayed excellent catalytic performance in comparison to pristine NiFe2O4 nanoparticles due to stabilization and increased dispersability of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles on the cellulose matrix. The present work promotes the use of bio based renewable sources to fabricate environment friendly materials to be used in the field of catalysis for the abatement of organic pollutants. Keywords: Cellulose nanofibres, Magnetically retrievable nanocomposites, Photocatalytic oxidation, Reduction