Nanoparticles of ZnO, MgFe2O4 and MgFe2O4/ZnO were synthesized using chemical methods and utilized as photocatalysts in degradation of a model textile dyes. The prepared nanopowders were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, VSM and DRS. The photocatalytic activity of samples was evaluated by degradation of Congo red (CR) as a model of chemical pollutants under visible-light irradiation. The results showed there is no impurity phase in the samples and the particle size of powders is uniform in distribution with spherical shapes about 50 nm. The photocatalytic results indicate that the MgFe2O4/ZnO nanocomposite has higher photocatalytic activity than pure MgFe2O4 and ZnO nanoparticles. It has degraded 94% of dye in 80 min that due to the coupling of MgFe2O4 with ZnO. Also, this environmental nanocomposite can be easily removed and recycled from the treated solution by applying an external magnetic field and acts as a promising catalyst for the remediation of textile wastewater.
