Chitosan-derived carbon microspheres supported tunable Pd nanoparticles as an efficient and reusable catalyst for organic dye degradation

Chitosan-derived biomass carbon microspheres are prepared as catalyst supports. • Unique-structured chitosan microspheres enable the fabrication of tunable Pd NPs. • The catalyst achieves good dye degradation with high universality and stability. Developing highly efficient, stable and low-cost catalysts for treating dye wastewater remains challenging. In this study, palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) were immobilized on chitosan-derived porous carbon microspheres (CSM) via a controlled synthetic strategy to prepare Pd/CSM catalysts with tunable Pd loading. Systematic characterizations were used to analyze the structure and surface properties of these catalysts, and the catalytic performance was evaluated by degrading representative organic dyes under different conditions and through repeated cycle testing. The results indicate that the Pd loading regulates the size, dispersion, and electronic structure of these Pd/CSM, thereby influencing catalytic activity. The optimized catalyst (1.2 wt% Pd/CSM) achieved removal rates of over 99% for various dyes, retained 98% of its activity after 20 cycles and remained effective under neutral to alkaline conditions. This enhanced performance is attributed to the N/O-rich porous framework, which facilitates uniform dispersion and strong anchoring of the palladium whilst improving the adsorption and electron transfer between Pd and support. This study provides a viable strategy for designing biomass-derived, Pd-based catalysts for treating dye-containing wastewater. Download: Download high-res image (405KB) Download: Download full-size image Renewable chitosan-derived nanoporous carbon microspheres serve as the carrier to construct highly efficient, stable, and recyclable Pd nano-catalysts for rapid catalytic degradation of multiple organic dyes in industrial wastewater.