AMNA WAHEED2025-12-092025-12-092024https://escholar.umt.edu.pk/handle/123456789/15610Water pollution, predominantly from industrial dyes, poses severe environmental and health hazards. The degradation of these pollutants using advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and photocatalytic approaches has emerged as a potential solution. This study focuses on the synthesis and optimization of metal organic frameworks (MOFs), precisely Fe-BDC MOF and its composite with bismuth oxyiodide (BiOI), for the photo-induced degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. The Fe-BDC MOF was synthesized by an oil bath method by reacting ferric chloride hexahydrate with an organic ligand 1,4-benzene dicarboxylic acid. Whereas, the composites with BiOI was synthesized by incorporating the Fe-BDC MOF into a Bi(NO₃)₃.5H₂O solution, followed by the addition of KI, via a hydrothermal approach. The developed materials were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction, UV-Visible spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), confirming the structural integrity and formation of the MOF and composites. According to the results, both Fe-BDC and Fe-BDC MOF@BiOI possessed morphology of hexagonal nanorods with the uniform dimensions and pointed tips with an average particle size of less than 1µm. Under visible light, Fe-BDC MOF@BiOI 5% and 10% were utilized as an innovative photocatalysts for the breakdown of cationic methylene blue (MB) dye in an aqueous solution. The incorporation of Fe BDC MOF with BiOI significantly improved the light induced degradation efficiency of MB compared to the Fe-BDC MOF alone. Fe-BDC@BiOI 5% showed superior photocatalytic degradation than MOF and fe-BDC@BiOI 10%. This enhancement is associated to increase absorption of visible light as well as reduced recombination charge-carrier. Box-Behnken Design (BBD) along with Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was exploited to maintain the experimental parameters for enhanced photocatalytic performance under solar radiation. The catalyst dosage, irradiation time, and pH were the crucial variables to be evaluated. The significant impacts of these parameters on the dye degradation were demonstrated by quadratic model derived from ANOVA analysis. The optimal parameters for dye degradation: a catalyst dosage of 0.03 to 0.05 grams, an irradiation time of 90 to 120 minutes and the pH of 3, were effectively identified by the BBD-RSM methodology. Higher degradation efficiency was observed under these optimized conditions, indicating the potential of these materials for removing organic dyes from contaminated water. Under these optimal conditions, the predicted coefficient of regression (R²) value using BBD-RSM was 97%, highlighting a strong connection between the experimental and predicted observation. The obtained results highlighted the Fe-BDC MOF@BiOI 5% composite as a strong potential and effective photocatalysts in for the decomposition of dye polluted water. This study effectively exploits both the synthesis and the application of Fe-BDC MOF and its Fe-BDC@BiOI composites for effective photocatalytic degradation of dyes. It contributes to synthesizing sustainable and effective solutions for alleviating industrial water pollution, highlighting the promising abilities of advanced materials in environmental remediation. Fe-BDC MOF and its BiOI composite represent a remarkable development in photocatalytic materials for environmental applications and their ability to degrade methylene blue dye under optimized parameters showcasing their potential for broader applications in wastewater treatment, providing an efficient approach in combating the industrial water pollution.enThesis