Natural Zeolites-Supported Green-Synthesized CeO2@Polybenzimidazole Hybrid Materials for Dye Degradation

Natural zeolites—clinoptilolite from Golobradovo and mordenite from Lyaskovets deposits, Bulgaria—were used for the preparation of zeolite-supported CeO2@Polybenzimidazole (PBI) hybrid materials, incorporating green-synthesized ceria using Veronica officinalis L extract. In order to prepare the hybrid composites, the zeolites/CeO2 were surface-impregnated with an ethanolic KOH solution of meta-PBI, which served as a dispersant medium. The composites were investigated by WDXRF, PXRD, FTIR, POM, and TG. The materials were tested in the photocatalytic degradation of 5 ppm Reactive Black 5 dye under UV light. The higher degree of degradation (98%) was achieved using mordenite/CeO2@PBI as the photocatalyst compared to the clinoptilolite/CeO2@PBI (14%).