Preparation of a silver ferrite-assisted tungsten oxide nanocomposite for efficient sonocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants activated by PMS followed by toxicity evaluation

Sonocatalytic technology combined with ultrasonic irradiation with a variety of semiconductors has attracted much attention to address environmental issues. In this work, a silver ferrite (AgFeO₂)-modified tungsten oxide (WO₃) composite was used as a sonocatalyst for the removal of organic pollutants. The use of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in the degradation process increases the sonocatalytic efficiency. AFO, WO₃, and AFO/WO₃ composites were prepared via a simple hydrothermal process. The prepared materials were characterized by various analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV-visible-DRS (UV-Vis DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The AFO/WO₃ composite material shows excellent degradation activity and stability during the sonocatalytic process. The sonocatalytic efficiency of the prepared material against organic pollutants such as rhodamine B (RhB), malachite green (Mal.G), and a mixed dye effluent were 96%, 95%, and 70%, respectively. The nature of the degraded water was investigated by plant survival studies, which confirmed that the treated water was much suitable for the survival of plants.