Catalytic degradation of organic dyes using green synthesized Fe3O4-cellulose-copper nanocomposites

In this work, the magnetically reusable Fe3O4-cellulose-copper nanocomposite was synthesized through a green synthesis method using Ceratonia siliqua aqueous extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The magnetically retrievable catalyst was characterized by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. The catalytic activity of the green synthesized catalyst was evaluated in the reduction of organic pollutants such as 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, methyl orange and potassium ferricyanide in the presence of sodium borohydride as reducing agent at room temperature. This catalyst could also be utilized for reduction of organic dyes and the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde providing excellent yields in short reaction time.