Preparation and Characterization of CuO/Clay Composite for Methyl Orange Photodegradation

This study reports on the preparation and characterizations of CuO/clay composite and its application for methyl orange (MO) photodegradation. The raw material of natural clay was obtained from Takalar District, South Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. CuO were incorporated in clay by impregnation method, with natural clay was intercalated using CMC before. The new composite was characterized by SEM, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements, and XRD. The results from SEM analysis revealed that there is a change in the surface morphology of the sample before and after impregnation, the clay becomes more porous and expands. XRD results show the CuO/clay composite has a monoclinic crystal structure. As for the sample surface area based on BET analysis using t-plot method, the surface area decreased after the CuO impregnated and the pore distribution using BJH analysis decrease, it indicates that CuO was successfully impregnated into the clay. The amount of CuO that was successfully impregnated into clay based on EDX analysis was 26.72%. The composite was successfully used as a photocatalyst in the MO degradation, showing a degradation ability of 85.84% with a composite mass of 500 mg with a contact time of 180 minutes.