The transformation of hazardous waste into advanced materials, such as photocatalysts, to effectively remove dye pollutants can significantly reduce or eliminate the environmental and public health threats posed by hazardous waste and dyes. This study aimed to synthesize a composite magnetic core-shell aerogel photocatalyst using secondary aluminum dross, a hazardous industrial waste, to remove methylene blue dye from wastewater for the first time. This aerogel was synthesized using a high-efficiency leaching process, controlled multistage precipitation-aging, multistage solvent exchange, and atmospheric pressure drying. The synthesized aerogel exhibited a surface area of 199 m 2 /g, a total pore volume of 0.53 cm 3 /g, and an average pore diameter of 12.6 nm. The mesoporous aerogel exhibited a band gap of approximately 2.74 eV. The analysis using a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) revealed a strong magnetic property. The core-shell structure was confirmed through high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analyses. Dye removal tests using the visible light photocatalytic process showed that the synthesized aerogel could remove about 96.25% of the dye after three consecutive treatments for 300 min. This result is noteworthy when compared to the values documented in the literature.
Mahinroosta et al. (Wed,) studied this question.