Photocatalytic and theoretical study of CoS nanoparticles for sustainable dye removal from wastewater

Abstract Photocatalytic degradation has emerged as a promising approach for addressing dye-laden wastewater from industrial effluents. In this study, a cost-effective cobalt sulfide (CoS) photocatalyst was synthesized via a simple precipitation method and employed for the visible-light-driven degrad...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Heba M. El Sharkawy, Ghada E. Khedr, Esraa M. El-Fawal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13932-1
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849226446319386624
author Heba M. El Sharkawy
Ghada E. Khedr
Esraa M. El-Fawal
author_facet Heba M. El Sharkawy
Ghada E. Khedr
Esraa M. El-Fawal
author_sort Heba M. El Sharkawy
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Photocatalytic degradation has emerged as a promising approach for addressing dye-laden wastewater from industrial effluents. In this study, a cost-effective cobalt sulfide (CoS) photocatalyst was synthesized via a simple precipitation method and employed for the visible-light-driven degradation of cationic methylene blue (MB) and anionic methyl red (MR) dyes. The as-prepared CoS was characterized using XRD, HR-TEM, FE-SEM, DRS, and PL techniques, revealing a hexagonal phase structure, uniform spherical morphology with particle sizes of 15–22 nm, a mesoporous surface with a BET-specific surface area of 33.6 m²·g⁻¹, and a narrow band gap of 1.6 eV. Under optimized conditions, CoS demonstrated excellent photocatalytic performance, achieving 97.7% degradation of MB and 75.3% degradation of MR within 90 min under visible light. Kinetic analysis showed a pseudo-first-order reaction with rate constants of 0.03 min⁻¹ for MB and 0.01 min⁻¹ for MR. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations further elucidated the adsorption configurations and energetics of both dyes on the CoS (100) surface, revealing stronger adsorption of MB compared to MR. These findings highlight the potential of CoS as an affordable and efficient photocatalyst for sustainable wastewater remediation applications.
format Article
id doaj-art-b2564ff53f8c4460b9840097c9b5101b
institution Kabale University
issn 2045-2322
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj-art-b2564ff53f8c4460b9840097c9b5101b2025-08-24T11:19:47ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-13932-1Photocatalytic and theoretical study of CoS nanoparticles for sustainable dye removal from wastewaterHeba M. El Sharkawy0Ghada E. Khedr1Esraa M. El-Fawal2Department of Analysis and Evaluation, Egyptian Petroleum Research InstituteDepartment of Analysis and Evaluation, Egyptian Petroleum Research InstituteDepartment of Analysis and Evaluation, Egyptian Petroleum Research InstituteAbstract Photocatalytic degradation has emerged as a promising approach for addressing dye-laden wastewater from industrial effluents. In this study, a cost-effective cobalt sulfide (CoS) photocatalyst was synthesized via a simple precipitation method and employed for the visible-light-driven degradation of cationic methylene blue (MB) and anionic methyl red (MR) dyes. The as-prepared CoS was characterized using XRD, HR-TEM, FE-SEM, DRS, and PL techniques, revealing a hexagonal phase structure, uniform spherical morphology with particle sizes of 15–22 nm, a mesoporous surface with a BET-specific surface area of 33.6 m²·g⁻¹, and a narrow band gap of 1.6 eV. Under optimized conditions, CoS demonstrated excellent photocatalytic performance, achieving 97.7% degradation of MB and 75.3% degradation of MR within 90 min under visible light. Kinetic analysis showed a pseudo-first-order reaction with rate constants of 0.03 min⁻¹ for MB and 0.01 min⁻¹ for MR. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations further elucidated the adsorption configurations and energetics of both dyes on the CoS (100) surface, revealing stronger adsorption of MB compared to MR. These findings highlight the potential of CoS as an affordable and efficient photocatalyst for sustainable wastewater remediation applications.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13932-1PhotodegradationDyesWater treatmentDFT
spellingShingle Heba M. El Sharkawy
Ghada E. Khedr
Esraa M. El-Fawal
Photocatalytic and theoretical study of CoS nanoparticles for sustainable dye removal from wastewater
Scientific Reports
Photodegradation
Dyes
Water treatment
DFT
title Photocatalytic and theoretical study of CoS nanoparticles for sustainable dye removal from wastewater
title_full Photocatalytic and theoretical study of CoS nanoparticles for sustainable dye removal from wastewater
title_fullStr Photocatalytic and theoretical study of CoS nanoparticles for sustainable dye removal from wastewater
title_full_unstemmed Photocatalytic and theoretical study of CoS nanoparticles for sustainable dye removal from wastewater
title_short Photocatalytic and theoretical study of CoS nanoparticles for sustainable dye removal from wastewater
title_sort photocatalytic and theoretical study of cos nanoparticles for sustainable dye removal from wastewater
topic Photodegradation
Dyes
Water treatment
DFT
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13932-1
work_keys_str_mv AT hebamelsharkawy photocatalyticandtheoreticalstudyofcosnanoparticlesforsustainabledyeremovalfromwastewater
AT ghadaekhedr photocatalyticandtheoreticalstudyofcosnanoparticlesforsustainabledyeremovalfromwastewater
AT esraamelfawal photocatalyticandtheoreticalstudyofcosnanoparticlesforsustainabledyeremovalfromwastewater