Correction: Insight into photocatalytic behavior of magnesium ferrite–bentonite nanocomposite for the degradation of organic contaminants

In the present work, MgFe 2 O 4 –bentonite nanocomposite was studied for the photodegradation of malathion and p -nitrophenol as model pollutants. The interactions between MgFe 2 O 4 and bentonite were studied employing XPS, Mӧssbauer, and band gap potential studies. The red shifting in the XPS peaks and FT-IR bands of nanocomposite pinpointed the existence of strong interactions between MgFe 2 O 4 and bentonite. Mössbauer studies revealed increased absorption area corresponding to the doublet assigned to the superparamagnetic fraction of MgFe 2 O 4 NPs in nanocomposite. It signified hindrance in the growth of MgFe 2 O 4 in the presence of bentonite. The nanocomposite showed admirable photodegradation efficiency of 90% for malathion and 86% for p -nitrophenol which was higher than pristine MgFe 2 O 4 . The degradation mechanism of malathion and p -nitrophenol was predicted using scavenging studies and GC–MS analysis. The nanocomposite also displayed synergistic removal of metal ions and photodegradation of organic contaminants. It is a potential candidate for remediation of inorganic and organic contaminants. Graphical abstract