Easy‐to‐synthesize Copper Oxide Nanorods for Fast and Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Carcinogenic Methyl Orange and Reactive Red 35 Dyes in Seawater

The release of synthetic carcinogenic dyes into aquatic ecosystems from industrial sources continues to pose severe environmental and health risks due to their chemical stability, water solubility, non‐biodegradable and cancer‐causing properties. In this study, novel copper oxide nanorods ( CuONRs ) were synthesised through a chemical reduction process and stabilised using 3‐amino‐1H‐1,2,4‐triazole‐5‐thiol (ATT). The synthesized CuONRs were comprehensively characterised using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder x‐ray diffraction (XRD), FE‐SEM, EDS, and UV–visible spectroscopy. For the photocatalytic experiments, we chose two carcinogenic dyes: Methyl orange (MO) and Reactive Red 35 (RR35), which are water‐soluble, highly toxic and widely used in textile and dyeing industries. The synthesized CuONRs demonstrated excellent photocatalytic activity with % degradation (rate of degradation) for MO as 93.46% (0.080 min −1 ) and 91.68% (0.133 min −1 ) in distilled water and seawater, whereas 90.06% (0.049 min −1 ) and 86.60% (0.062 min −1 ) for RR35 in distilled and seawater, respectively. Furthermore, the synthesized CuONRs were also explored for their photocatalytic performance under different pH, catalytic dosage and reusability, which confirmed their excellent efficiency and stability. Importantly, better degradation kinetics of CuONRs in seawater compared to distilled water highlight the potential for combating MO and RR35 pollution in complex water bodies.