Synthesis of FeO/TiO Photocatalytic Composites for Methylene Blue Degradation as a Novel Strategy for High-Value Utilisation of Iron Scales.

In this study, novel FeO/TiO photocatalytic composites were synthesised by combining traditional oxidation roasting with the sol-gel method, using low-cost metallurgical waste (iron scales) as the raw material. The characterisation results revealed that the oxidised iron scales could be transformed into high-purity and porous FeO particles through oxidation roasting, thereby providing additional sites for the adsorption process and thus serving as an effective carrier for TiO-based photocatalytic materials. During the sol-gel process, TiO was loaded onto the synthesised FeO particles, generating core-shell heterostructure FeO/TiO photocatalytic composites. Under visible light irradiation for 90 min, the FeO/TiO photocatalytic composites achieved a remarkable methylene blue removal rate (97.71%). This reaction process followed the quasi-first-order kinetic model with a rate constant of 0.038 min. The results have demonstrated that this combination of various components in the FeO/TiO photocatalytic composites improved the adsorption, light utilisation, and charge separation effect of the photocatalysts. Moreover, the material exhibited favourable stability and recyclability, making it a decent candidate for the treatment of wastewater from the biochemical industry. Therefore, this study provides a new strategy for improving the photocatalytic activity of TiO and expanding the high value-added utilisation of iron scales.