| Summary: | It has been reported that the wastewater treatment processes are unable to remove microplastics (MPs) from wastewater completely and often bypass the treatment plants into water resources. Hence, this study tested cobalt (Co) and palladium (Pd) doped tin oxide SnO2 nanorods as photocatalysts to degrade the MPs. Co and Pd were selected as dopants due to their high oxidation catalytic characteristics. A dosage of 10 mol% dopants was used to prepare the doped SnO2 nanorods. The SnO2 was synthesized using a facile hydrothermal route at a relatively lower temperature, 180 °C. To study the photocatalytic performance of MPs, the reaction was executed on polypropylene (PP) for 72 hours under visible light irradiation. While, the effect of pH was tested at different pH conditions (5,7, and 9). The SnO2 nanorods were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, and UV-Vis spectrometer. The broadening of XRD peaks in Pd and Co-doped SnO2 nanorods signifies a decrease in crystalline size, which is supported by FESEM images with ~15 nm diameter. The performance of the photodegradation of PP is verified by using FTIR analysis. The strong vibration peaks of the carbonyl and hydroxyl bands confirmed that the polymer chain broke down via a photo-oxidation reaction. Cracks and cavities have been found on the surface of PP after the photocatalytic reaction. Overall, 10% Pd-doped and Co-doped SnO2 have exhibited good performance after 72 hours of photocatalytic reaction at pH 9, and it has a high potential as a photocatalyst for the degradation of MPs. © 2023, Malaysian Society of Analytical Sciences. All rights reserved.
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