Photocatalytic degradation of benzothiophene by a novel photocatalyst, removal of decomposition fragments by MCM-41 sorbent

In this study, a catalyst was synthesized by introduction of ZnO onto the surface of FSM-16 catalyst support (ZnO/FSM-16). Impregnation of catalyst support by ZnO proceeded through reacting of FSM-16 nanoparticles with Zn(CH3COO)2 solution followed by calcination of the product. The synthesized photocatalyst was then identified by different methods, and the optical property of the photocatalyst was studied by the DRS method. The results showed that after deposition of photocatalyst on FSM-16 support, the photocatalyst band gap was shifted to the visible region. The photoluminescence studies revealed lower recombination of electron–holes of the photocatalyst after immobilization on FSM-16. The influence of different variables on the photocatalytic performance of the samples was studied. Under optimized conditions, the high degradation efficiency of 97% was obtained by ZnO/FSM-16. The compounds produced from degradation of benzothiophene were recognized by the GC–MS method, and the products containing sulfur were properly adsorbed by MCM-41 sorbent. The photocatalyst showed high regeneration capability, and its activity was mostly preserved after six regeneration cycles.