Synthesis and characterization of Ce(0.5)Bi(0.5)VO(4)/rGO nanocomposite by sonochemical method for photocatalytic desulfurization of petroleum derivatives

In order to improve the desulfurization efficiency of petroleum derivatives, Ce(0.5)Bi(0.5)VO(4)/rGO nanocomposite was synthesized by sonochemical method. The prepared nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, FESEM, EDS, FT-IR, BET, and DRS analyses. XRD analysis shows that the synthesized nanocomposite is amorphous. FESEM images showed that nanostructures with a smaller particle size distribution were synthesized under optimal conditions, i.e. controlling the synthesis temperature between 0 and 5 °C. The results of desulfurization showed that nanocomposites containing reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have higher photocatalytic efficiency than pure samples, the main reason of which can be better charge separation in the samples through the π electron in the rGO structure. The highest amount of desulfurization of CeVO(4)/rGO, BiVO(4)/rGO, and Ce(0.5)Bi(0.5)VO(4)/rGO nanocomposites was 95.62, 91.25, and 96.38%, respectively, after exposure to UV light for 40 min. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity of Ce(0.5)Bi(0.5)VO(4)/rGO composite could be attributed to the efficient separation of electron–hole pairs and the inhibition of recombination. Desulfurization in the presence of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide increased the efficiency by 12%, which is a significant amount.