Development of simplistic and stable Co-doped ZnS nanocomposite towards excellent removal of bisphenol A from wastewater and hydrogen production: Evaluation of reaction parameters by response surface methodology

Background: Environmentally friendly and sustainable approaches for the removal of hazardous pollutants from wastewater continue to be explored. The present study presents the novel Co-ZnS nanocomposites which were synthesized by the ethanolic crude extract of Oxystelma esculentum and then successfully evaluated towards degradation of Bisphenol A and hydrogen production. The synthesized nanocomposites were systematically characterized by multiple state-of-the-art experimental techniques. Methods: The present study illustrates the green synthesis of Co-doped ZnS nanocomposites and their promising potential for photodegradation of BPA and hydrogen production. The nanocomposite shows an excellent potential for BPA degradation (0.052 min⁻¹) and hydrogen evolution (3157.9 µmolh⁻¹ g⁻¹). The detailed optimized analysis of synthesized nanocomposite demonstrates remarkable abilities to degrade organic pollutants by applying a “response surface methodology” model. Significant Findings: The optimized value of the photocatalyst along with optimized parameters presented considerable photocatalytic activity for the degradation of BPA (94.69 %) and the value of hydrogen (3157.9 µmolh⁻¹ g⁻¹). Then, the confirmation of the results (theoretical and experimental yield) was carried out by RSM. The RSM indicated the predicted D % value of 96.84 % via the developed model with the optimized conditions of pH = 5.146, BPA dose = [53.448 mg/L], Photocatalyst dose = [58.3058 mg], and temperature = 32.2673 °C. The pH_zpc of the prepared photocomposites was found to be ∼6.9.