Novel Composite of Iron Oxide and Cyclodextrin for Effective Removal of Organic Pollutants

Abstract

Organic pollutants negatively impact the environment, including air, water, soil, and living organisms. These pollutants come from various sources, including industrial, agricultural, and domestic activities. Removing organic pollutants from the environment is a difficult task and requires a combination of prevention and innovative strategies. Herein a novel nanocomposite consisting of beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) modified silver (Ag@β-CD) and gold (Au@-β-CD) nanoparticles (NPs) attached on the surface of Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ core–shell structure with an average 530 nm diameter in an eco-friendly environment is presented. In the first step, Au@-β-CD and Ag@-β-CD are synthesized, and the core–shell structure is modified by these nanoparticles. The catalytic activities of the synthesized nanocomposite are investigated for the reduction of RhB and 4-NP and the photodegradation of MB. The synthesized composite shows the highest catalytic performance in the reduction of RhB and 4-NP and photodegradation of MB, and the reactions are completed in 75, 45 s, and 16 min with a rate constant (k) 0.03 ± 0.005 s⁻¹, 0.07 ± 0.01 s⁻¹, and 0.25 ± 0.07 min⁻¹, respectively. The reduction and photodegradation reactions follow the first-order rate law. The catalyst is reused for six cycles after separation from the reaction system by an external magnetic field.