Adsorption and Photodegradation of Lanasol Yellow 4G in Aqueous Solution by Natural Zeolite Treated by CO₂-Laser Radiation

Natural zeolite is a widely used material with excellent environmental cleaning performance, especially in water and wastewater treatment. Natural zeolite (Z(ini)) calcined by CO2-laser radiation (ZL) was tested as a catalyst for the photodegradation and the adsorption of industrial azo dye Lanasol Yellow 4G (LY4G) in water. Morphology, chemical structure, and surface composition of Z(ini) and ZL were analyzed by XRD, SEM, EDS, and XPS. UV/Visible spectrophotometry was used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of Z(ini) and ZL. The photocatalytic activity of the studied zeolites was associated with the presence of Fe oxides in their composition. Laser-treated natural zeolite showed higher efficiency as a photocatalyst compared to untreated natural zeolite.