Synthesis of copper-loaded activated carbon for enhancing the photocatalytic removal of methylene blue

To enhance the photocatalytic performance of Cu 2 O, the spent activated carbon (SAC) directly supported CuO powder and then was heated by microwaves to prepare an economical photocatalyst copper-loaded activated carbon (Cu/AC). The prepared Cu/AC catalyst was characterized by N 2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and the zero charge point (pH pzc ). The analysis results indicated that Cu/AC had an important specific surface area of 1135 m 2 /g and mainly contained Cu 2 O and metallic copper (Cu 0 ). The Cu 2 O particles were successfully loaded on the activated carbon. The photocatalytic activity of prepared Cu/AC was evaluated by means of methylene blue (MB) degradation. The effects of reaction parameters such as the pH, initial concentration and dose of Cu/AC were investigated for dye degradation . The data showed that the MB solutions were degraded using Cu/AC under UV irradiation . These results indicated that the Cu/AC photocatalyst may be conceived as a method for the treatment of dye wastewater.