Enhanced photo-Fenton degradation of Rhodamine B using iodine-doped iron tungstate nanocomposite under sunlight

In the present research work, iodine-doped iron tungstate has been reported for first time as an active photo-Fenton heterogeneous catalyst for wastewater treatment. In Fenton-like process, the catalytic efficiency of FeWO4 was enhanced greatly by introducing reductive non-metal species (I−) into the crystal lattice. This introduction activated the H2O2 for the generation of hydroxyl radicals which were the most reactive species for the degradation of RhB. The non-metal doping has enhanced the visible light response of transition metal oxide. A hydrothermal method was used for synthesizing novel iodine-doped FeWO4. The prepared sample was characterized through scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV–Visible spectroscopy. The photoactivity of I-FeWO4 was evaluated through the degradation of RhB under sunlight. I-FeWO4 showed 93.8% degradation of RhB after 80 min.