Chitosan hydrogel wrapped bimetallic nanoparticles based efficient catalysts for the catalytic removal of organic pollutants and hydrogen production

A novel catalytic system based on bimetallic nanoparticles entrapped chitosan hydrogel container (Cu–Ag/CH, Cu–Co/CH, Cu–Ni/CH) was prepared. The developed catalytic system was applied for production of H 2 from water and methanol and reduction of 4‐nitrophenol (4‐NP), 3‐nitrophenol, 2‐nitrophenol, 2,6‐dinitrophenol, methylene blue, congo red (CR), methyl orange, acridine orange, and potassium ferricynide (K 3 [Fe(CN) 6 ]). The developed catalytic system has shown tremendous performance and exhibited high efficiency as a catalyst for water treatment and H 2 generation. Among all the nanocatalysts, Cu–Co/CH was more efficient in catalytic H 2 generation while Cu–Ni/CH was more efficient in catalytic reduction of toxic contaminants. Further, various parameters like amount of NaBH 4 , catalyst quantity, pollutant concentration, and temperature were optimized to enhance the effectiveness of catalytic system for fast production of H 2 and reduction of toxins. Moreover, the recyclability of the catalyst was investigated, where slight decrease in reduction time was noted.