Surface Modification of BiVO4 Using (3-Aminopropyl) Triethoxysilane and Study of the Photocatalytic Properties and Process Optimization

Abstract

This research examined the photocatalytic degradation of oily pollutant, BiVO4 with efficient photocatalytic activities synthesized via hydrothermal method with its surface modified by (3- aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES). The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the as synthesized samples were evaluated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), contact angle (CA), Thermo Gravimetric Analysis )TGA(, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and Analysis Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). The photocatalytic efficiency of the prepared samples was evaluated by Kerosine degradation. The experiments were designed by the Box-Behnken method. Finally, the software is the best point for achieving the highest percentage of degradation of oily pollutant under optimal conditions with pollutant concentration of 436.32 (ppm), time of 2.62 (h), catalyst mass of 0.77 (g), and H2O2 concentration of 0.42 (M).