Catalytic and kinetic studies of CuFe2O4 as a superior heterogeneous nanocatalyst for dye degradation and Cr(VI) reduction

The contamination of water resources by emerging contaminants, such as heavy metals and textile effluents, poses significant ecological and human health risks. Conventional effluent treatment plants may not effectively degrade all types of pollutants, resulting in the contamination of natural water resources. Photocatalysis, specifically the photo-Fenton reaction, has emerged as an efficient sustainable cost-effective method for the removal of pollutants. In this study, three batches (CF-1, CF-2, and CF-3) of copper ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and used as photocatalysts for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye and reduction of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) under visible light. The CF-1, CF-2, and CF-3 required (90, 75, and 60 min.) different periods to reach a nearly similar degradation percentage, i.e., 90