Photocatalytic activity of Ag-Ag3PO4/Cellulose aerogel composite for degradation of dye pollutants under visible light irradiation

In this research, Ag-Ag3PO4/Cellulose aerogel composite was synthesized using hydrothermal reduction and freeze-drying methods. By combining the photocatalytic activity of the semiconductor Ag-Ag3PO4 and cellulose aerogel synthesized from agricultural waste sources, the synthesized Ag-Ag3PO4/Cellulose aerogel composite has overcome the disadvantages of pure Ag3PO4 and significantly improved the photocatalytic activity. Structural characteristics, morphology, surface area of the materials were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption-desorption and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) methods. From the obtained results, composite has narrow bandgap energy (2.275 eV) and excellent catalytic performance in the photodegradation of dye pollutants (99% MB and 77% RY 145 degraded after 4 h, and only a minor change in the efficiency observed after four consecutive tests). It  demonstrates the development of new catalysts made from agricultural waste sources that show high stability, ease of fabrication and can operate in natural light for environmental remediation.