US 12,109,555 B1
Method of using gold/zinc/graphene oxide photocatalyst nanocomposite for water treatment
Nuhad Abdullah Alomair, Dammam (SA); and Hanan Hussein Amin Mohamed, Dammam (SA)
Assigned to Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam (SA)
Filed by Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam (SA)
Filed on Jun. 11, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/739,617.
Application 17/700,969 is a division of application No. 16/437,614, filed on Jun. 11, 2019, granted, now 11,305,262, issued on Apr. 19, 2022.
Application 18/739,617 is a continuation of application No. 18/496,431, filed on Oct. 27, 2023, granted, now 12,048,918.
Application 18/496,431 is a continuation of application No. 18/450,819, filed on Aug. 16, 2023, granted, now 11,833,490, issued on Dec. 5, 2023.
Application 18/450,819 is a continuation of application No. 18/318,763, filed on May 17, 2023, granted, now 11,779,907, issued on Oct. 10, 2023.
Application 18/318,763 is a continuation of application No. 17/700,969, filed on Mar. 22, 2022, granted, now 11,707,734, issued on Jul. 25, 2023.
Int. Cl. B01J 23/89 (2006.01); B01J 21/18 (2006.01); B01J 35/39 (2024.01); B01J 35/64 (2024.01); C02F 1/72 (2023.01); C02F 101/30 (2006.01)
CPC B01J 23/8953 (2013.01) [B01J 21/18 (2013.01); B01J 35/39 (2024.01); B01J 35/647 (2024.01); C02F 1/725 (2013.01); C02F 2101/308 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for making a gold/zinc/graphene oxide photocatalyst nanocomposite and treating a dye-contaminated aqueous composition comprising:
preparing a date seed extract suspension by grinding a date seed and heating the ground date seed in water at a temperature in the range of 60 to 100° C. for a time in the range of 1 to 5 hours to form an extract suspension mixture,
separating solids from the extract suspension mixture to form an extract mixture, then
evaporating water from the extract mixture to obtain crystals of the date seed extract,
preparing an aqueous suspension of zinc acetate, chloroauric acid, and graphene oxide, wherein the zinc acetate and chloroauric acid are present in an equimolar ratio;
mixing the aqueous suspension with the date seed extract to form a mixture, and
heating the mixture at temperature in the range of 100-200° C. for a time in the range of 10 to 20 hours to form the gold/zinc/graphene oxide photocatalyst nanocomposite;
wherein the gold/zinc/graphene oxide photocatalyst nanocomposite comprises Au nanoparticles, hexagonal wurtzite ZnO, and reduced graphene oxide (rGO): wherein the Au nanoparticles are present in an amount of 2 mol. % to 10 mol. % based on the molar amount of the ZnO nanoparticles and the rGO is present in an amount of 48 wt. % to 52 wt. % of the total weight of the gold/zinc/graphene oxide photocatalyst nanocomposite,
wherein the Au nanoparticles have a diameter in the range of 15 to 20 nm and are homogeneously distributed on the ZnO nanoparticles and on the rGO: the ZnO nanoparticles have a diameter in the range of 30 to 40 nm and are present on the rGO; then
mixing the gold/zinc/graphene oxide photocatalyst nanocomposite with the dye-contaminated aqueous composition to form a treatment mixture; and
exposing the treatment mixture to sunlight to photodecompose the dye and form purified water.