Abstract:
This research investigates the synthesis of hemp-derived biochar (BC) which is then
activated with an activation agent KOH to achieve activated carbon (AC). Different
compositions of V2O5 (5, 10, and 15 wt.%) were loaded over AC, and various
characterization techniques were employed to investigate the physicochemical and
photocatalytic performance of as-synthesized catalysts in dye degradation and H2
production. Under the sunlight, different loadings of 5%, 10%, and 15% of V2O5@AC
were determined for the crystal violet (CV) photocatalytic dye degradation. Amongst all
compositions, 5% V2O5@AC shows a maximum degradation efficiency of up to 99% and
is the suitable candidate for the degradation of dyes where electrons (e-
) play a vital role in
CV degradation during active radical trap test. Furthermore, photocatalytic H2 production
was performed in a slurry-based reactor system. The result demonstrates the enhanced H2production rate (~889 µmol g-1h-1 in 180 min) due to the optimal photocatalytic
performance of 5% V2O5@AC. The presence of an intrab and gap in 5% V2O5@AC
suggests the presence of oxygen vacancy in the lattice that contributes to the photocatalytic performance by providing an alternative energy path to absorb maximum light ranging from visible to ultraviolet spectrum that will ultimately contribute to efficient electron transition and separation despite having wide bandgap.
