Plant-Assisted Synthesized Mn-Doped Hematite materials for Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue dye

The development of sustainable photocatalytic materials through environmentally friendly synthesis routes has attracted increasing attention for wastewater treatment applications. In this study, the hematite powders were produced using a plant extract of Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. mediated green synthesis by Pluronic-assisted co-precipitation followed by calcination at 500^oC. Additionally, Mn-doped Fe₂O₃ samples were obtained using manganese extracted from manganese carbonate ore from the Obrochishte deposit (Bulgaria) through a bio-leaching process. The Mn-doped materials were thermally treated at 450°C. For comparison the undoped and Mn-doped Fe₂O₃ powders were prepared without using Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. to evaluate the effect of the green synthesis approach on their photocatalytic performance. The structural and morphological characterization of undoped and Mn-doped Fe₂O₃ materials was performed by PXRD analysis, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, SEM and EDS analyses. Photocatalytic ability of the obtained materials was evaluated through the degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye as model pollutant under UV irradiation. The plant-assisted Mn-doped Fe₂O₃ exhibited the highest activity, achieving 92% (degree of MB dye degradation) after 150 min. The results demonstrate the potential of combining plant-assisted synthesis and Mn doping to develop efficient hematite-based photocatalysts for wastewater treatment. The obtained results highlight the effectiveness of the proposed green synthesis approach.