Gezginci, ElifHasan, Md MehediPehlivan, ErolAltintas Yildirim, Ozlem2025-07-102025-07-1020250193-26911532-2351https://doi.org/10.1080/01932691.2025.2510625https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13091/10145In this study, malachite green (MG) was efficiently removed from an aqueous solution using a nanocomposite consisting of biochar (BC) loaded with zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles. The nanocomposite (0.1ZrO(2)@BC) was prepared by mixing ZrO2 nanoparticles and BC in a 1:9 weight ratio, with the BC derived from the pyrolysis of Cornus sanguinea L. seeds. The nanocomposite was characterized in terms of its structure, morphology, and optical properties using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and UV- Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The XRD patterns and SEM images of the composite structure demonstrated that highly crystalline 0.1ZrO(2)@BC was successfully synthesized, with ZrO2 nanoparticles dispersed across the surface of BC. According to the results, at pH:4.8, discoloration of MG in the presence of the 0.1ZrO(2)@BC nanocomposite (76.6 +/- 3.2%) surpassed the performance of both the pristine BC (35.4 +/- 3.2%) and ZrO2 nanoparticles (57.0 +/- 3.5%). The apparent first-order rate constants (k(app)) of 0.1ZrO(2)@BC nanocomposite (0.0115 +/- 0.0002 min(-1)) is approximately 4 times higher than that of the pristine BC (0.0033 +/- 0.0002 min(-1)) and 2 times greater than that of the ZrO2 nanoparticles (0.0066 +/- 0.0001 min(-1)). The degradation efficiency of the 0.1ZrO(2)@BC nanocomposites was also investigated at pH:7.0 and 10.0. According to the results, MG dye degradation is more efficient at higher solution pH values after 120-minute UV light irradiation (pH: 10.0; 94.0 +/- 3.2%). The experimental results provide new insights into the use of nanocomposites for the treatment of wastewater contaminated with hazardous dye Moreover, the nanocomposites displayed the capability of being recycled up to 3 times without any noticeable decrease in stability.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessPhotocatalystAdsorptionZrO2BiocharDye RemovalArticle10.1080/01932691.2025.25106252-s2.0-105007427870