Zinc oxide nanoparticle incorporated on graphene oxide: an efficient and stable photocatalyst for water treatment through the Fenton process

Textile industries release a huge amount of wastewater that holds a very high ratio of toxic contaminants, such as dyes and various organic compounds. These are harmful to the environment, and their treatment is very much required for a clean and safe environment. So, our work explains the enhanced degradation of dye by heterogeneous Fenton process using zinc oxide-graphene oxide nanohybrid (ZnG) to generate hydroxyl radical from hydrogen peroxide. Initially, ZnG nanohybrid was successfully synthesized via hydrothermal process; later on, UV-visible spectroscopy is employed for absorption spectra and optical properties. The X-ray diffraction pattern is employed for determining the crystal structure and phase identification of nanoparticles. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) helped to find out the morphology. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) was used to get an average particle size (4.36–9.77 nm). Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to find electron-hole pair combination in nanohybrid compared to individual ZnO and GO. Finally, the catalytic activity of ZnG was successfully studied for brilliant green (BG) degradation via a heterogeneous Fenton process. Number>Graphical abstract Initially ZnG nanohybrid was prepared, and later, it was used as catalyst in Fenton process to degrade brilliant green.