Screening of Zeolites series: H-β/H-MOR/H-ZSM-5 as potential templates for photocatalyst heterostructure composites through photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

The formation of Zeolites/semiconductor heterostructures has been demonstrated as one of the most promising strategies for enhancing the photocatalytic performance of semi-conductors. However, the choice of a suitable Zeolite template for photocatalyst composites remains a major challenge. Herein, a series of H-β, H-MOR and H-ZSM-5 Zeolites were studied as potential semi-conductor templates for the photocatalytic remediation of organic pollutants. Although, all the investigated Zeolite templates displayed similar functional groups and elemental components, their morphology and band gaps varied. The bandgap of H-MOR, H-ZSM-5 and H-β were estimated to be 3.74 eV, 3.64 eV and 3.30 eV, respectively. The H-MOR Zeolites were observed to be the most effective photocatalyst for the removal of tetracycline (TC) molecules. The kinetic rate constants for H-MOR, H-ZSM-5 and H-β were estimated to be 0.5269 h⁻¹, 0.4841 h⁻¹ and 0.3975 h⁻¹, respectively. The superior performance of H-MOR Zeolite was ascribed to its higher activity under UV light irradiation (due to a larger band gap) and oxygen deficiency, as revealed from the Tauc plot and EDS analysis, respectively. The pH studies revealed a favorable TC removal under the alkaline region. Thus, H-MOR zeolite was established to be a promising photocatalyst template for the remediation of pollutants.