Insights into the photocatalytic removal of malachite green organic pollutant by highly efficient hard responsive Ba1 − xCoxDyyFe12−yO19 catalysts

Abstract The widespread discharge of organic dyes into the wastewater from various industrial processes has develop a major environmental apprehension in the modern world. To tackle such environmental issues, we are synthesizing a novel catalyst of composition, Ba1 − xCoxDyyFe12−yO19 (x = y = 0.02–0.06) using sol-gel auto-combustion (SGAC) for the photocatalytic eradication of malachite green dye (MGD). The fabricated sample show single-phase hexagonal structure. The hexagonal-shaped grains are seen in the field emission spectroscopy (FESEM) visuals of prepared hexaferrites. The oxidation states of every element present in the developed specimens are investigated using the X-ray photoelectron spectrophotometer scrutinized. The specific surface area (SSA) of the HF1 sample is 3.523 m2/g, whereas the band gap values of co-doped barium hexaferrites are found within the range of 1.61 to 1.75 eV. The magnetic analysis of developed hexaferrites indicates that increasing the concentration of Dy and Co, raised in the saturation magnetization and declines in coercivity. The conducted photocatalytic evaluations reveal that the removal efficiencies of 89.85%, 91.12%, and 94.36% are obtained for the prepared HF1, HF2, and HF3 hexaferrites after 90 min of natural irradiation. Moreover, the capability for the reusability of the synthesized hexaferrites is assessed over a series of five consecutive experimental cycles. As a result, this research delves at potential applications of co-doped BaFe12O19 hexaferrites in the photocatalytic eradication of MGD for environmental applications.