Photocatalytic degradation of Remazol Red F3B using ZnO catalyst

The photocatalytic degradation of aqueous solution of a commercial azo-reactive textile dye, Remazol Red F3B, has been investigated in a batch slurry reactor, in the presence of ZnO catalyst using two different UV light sources emitting at 254 nm and 365 nm. The effects of various process variables on degradation performance of the process have been investigated. The results showed that decolourization and total organic carbon (TOC) removal are both affected in the same manner by the solution pH in the pH range 6-10, showing maxima at pH 7 and pH 10. They are inversely related to the dye concentration, they increase in power-law with the light intensity. Decolourization is faster with 365 nm UV. TOC removal is not affected by UV wavelength in the initial period up to 20 min, after which it progresses faster under 365 nm UV radiation. These results indicate that the UV wavelength influences especially the degradation rate of the intermediate products generated during the initial period of the photocatalytic process. Finally, catalyst loading affects both efficiencies in the same trend, which are maximized at about 2 g/l catalyst loading.     

Photocatalytic degradation of indigo carmine in aqueous solution by TiO2-coated non-woven fibres

The photocatalytic degradation of indigo carmine has been investigated in aqueous solutions using TiO2 coated non-woven fibres as photocatalyst. The experiments were carried out to investigate the factors influencing the photocatalytic degradation, such as the previous adsorption in the dark, initial concentration of dye solution, temperature, and pH. The experimental results show that adsorption is an important parameter controlling the apparent kinetic constant of the degradation. The photocatalytic degradation rate was favoured by a high concentration of solution in respect to Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The degradation rate was pH and temperature dependent with a high degradation rate at high temperature.     

TiO2 mediated photocatalytic degradation studies of Reactive Red 198 by UV irradiation

Photocatalytic degradation of an aqueous solution of azo dye (Reactive Red 198) used in textile industries by UV irradiation was investigated. The effect of initial dye concentration, TiO(2) loading, pH and H(2)O(2) on degradation rate was ascertained and optimized conditions for maximum degradation were determined. The kinetics of photocatalytic degradation was found to follow a pseudo-first order according to Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The degradation experiment under optimized reaction conditions was investigated under sunlight.     

Laser-induced removal of a dye C.I. Acid Red 87 using n-type WO3 semiconductor catalyst

Water contamination by organic substances such as dyes is of great concern worldwide due to their utilization in many industrial processes and environmental concerns. To cater the needs for waste water treatment polluted with organic dyes, laser-induced photocatalytic process was investigated for removal of a dye derivative namely Acid Red 87 using n-type WO₃ semiconductor catalyst. The degradation was investigated in aqueous suspensions of tungsten oxide under different experimental conditions using laser instead of conventional UV lamp as an irradiation source. The degradation process was monitored by measuring the change in dye concentration as a function of laser irradiation time by employing UV spectroscopic analysis. The degradation of dye was studied by varying different parameters such as laser energy, reaction pH, substrate concentration, catalyst concentration, and in the presence of electron acceptors such as hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and potassium bromate (KBrO₃). The degradation rates were found to be strongly dependent on all the above-mentioned parameters. Our experimental results revealed that the dye degradation process was very fast (within few minutes) under laser irradiation as compared to conventional setups using broad spectral lamps (hours or days) and this laser-induced photocatalytic degradation method could be an effective means to eliminate the pollutants present in liquid phase. The experience gained through this study could be beneficial for treatment of waste water contaminated with organic dyes and other organic pollutants.     

Solar assisted photocatalytic and photochemical degradation of Reactive Black 5

The photocatalytic oxidative degradation of Reactive Black 5 (RB 5) has been investigated using TiO(2)-P25 as photocatalyst and sunlight as irradiation source in slurry form. The degradation was carried out at different experimental conditions to optimize the parameters such as amount of catalyst, concentration of dye and pH. A complete degradation of 3.85 x 10(-4) M dye solution under solar irradiation was observed in 3.5 h. The photochemical degradation using hydrogen peroxide results in the partial removal of the dye.     

Adsorption and photocatalytic decolorization of a synthetic dye erythrosine on anatase TiO2 and ZnO surfaces

The UV radiation assisted photocatalytic decolorization/degradation kinetics of an anionic dye erythrosine (ER), has been studied over TiO2 and ZnO surfaces. Since adsorption is the prerequisite condition for decolorization/degradation of dye molecules in presence of heterogeneous catalysis, the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were examined to verify the adsorption intensity. Standard adsorption free energy measurement implies that the adsorption of ER on both TiO2 and ZnO surfaces is spontaneous endothermic process. The effect of catalyst loading (TiO2/ZnO) revealed the fact that the maximum decolorization rate is obtained under an optimized catalyst loading condition. The decolorization efficiency was also investigated over the pH range of 5.0-10.0 indicating that increasing pH enhances decolorization efficiency. The influence of H2O2 on decolorization efficiency was found noticeable since it is a hydroxyl radical provider. The kinetic study of this degradation indicates that under the experimental condition, the decolorization mechanism follows zero order kinetics on the basis of Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) heterogeneous reaction mechanism.     

TiO2-UV photocatalytic oxidation of Reactive Yellow 14: effect of operational parameters

The photocatalytic decolourisation and degradation of an azo dye Reactive Yellow (RY14) in aqueous solution with TiO(2) as photocatalyst in slurry form has been carried out using UV-A radiation (365 nm). The effect of various parameters such as catalyst loading, radiation intensity and initial dye concentration on the dye removal was investigated to find optimum conditions. The decolourisation and degradation kinetics have been analysed. Both follow modified Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic (L-H) model. A study on the effect of electron acceptors on photooxidation reveals that both decolourisation and degradation increase in the presence of H(2)O(2), (NH(4))(2)S(2)O(8), KBrO(3), to certain dosage beyond which the enhancement effect is negligible. But negative effects are observed in the presence of NaCl or Na(2)CO(3).     

Sonochemical degradation of Basic Blue 41 dye assisted by nanoTiO2 and H2O2

The sonolysis of Basic Blue 41 dye in aqueous solution was performed at 35 kHz using ultrasonic power of 160 W and aqueous temperature of 25+1 degrees C within 180 min. The TiO2 nanoparticles were used as a catalyst to assist the sonication process. The effect of experimental parameters such as pH, H2O2 concentration and initial dye concentration on the reaction were investigated. It was recognized that in lower pH values the dye removal rate decreased. However, dye removal increased via increase in H2O2 concentration and lowering the initial dye concentration. All intermediate compounds were detected by integrated gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and also ion chromatograph (IC). During the decolorization, all nitrogen atoms and aromatic groups of Basic Blue 41 were converted to urea, nitrate, formic acid, acetic acid and oxalic acid, etc. Kinetic studies revealed that the degradation process followed pseudo-first order mechanism with the correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9918 under experimental conditions. The results showed that power ultrasound can be regarded as an appropriate tool for degradation of azo dyes to non-toxic end products.     

Photocatalytic degradation of reactive black-5 dye using TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> impregnated ZSM-5

In the present study, photocatalytic degradation of reactive black-5 (RB-5) dye was investigated using supported TiO₂ photocatalyst based adsorbent as a semiconductor photocatalyst in a batch reactor. The synthesized photocatalyst composition was developed using TiO₂ as photoactive component and zeolite (ZSM-5) as the adsorbents. Attempts were also made to optimize the composition of the supported catalyst and to study the reliability of prepared catalyst. The optimum formulation of supported catalyst was found to be (TiO₂: ZSM-5 = 0·15:1) which gave the highest efficiency with 98% degradation of 50 mg/L RB-5 solution in 90 min. Effect of different parameters such as initial concentration of dye solution, catalyst amount on the rate of photodegradation was also studied. The reduction in the chemical oxygen demand (COD, 88%) proves the mineralization of the RB-5 dye along with the colour removal. The supported TiO₂ was found to be stable for repeated use.     

WO_3-TiO_2纳米材料的制备及其光催化性能

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备WO3-TiO2纳米复合材料,并用透射电镜和X射线衍射对所制备材料进行表征和分析。以WO3-TiO2纳米材料为光催化剂对甲基橙进行光催化降解处理,研究WO3的掺杂量、煅烧温度、光照时间等因素对甲基橙降解率的影响。结果表明:在紫外灯照射下,使用w(WO3)=3%、550℃下煅烧得到的WO3-TiO2纳米复合粉体0.02 g,甲基橙溶液20 mL(ρ=5 mg/L,pH=4),光催化3 h后,甲基橙降解率达到94.93%。     

Impregnation of ZnO onto activated carbon under hydrothermal conditions and its photocatalytic properties

Zinc oxide photocatalyst was impregnated onto the activated carbon under mild hydrothermal conditions (T=150°C, P = 20–30 bars) to form a ZnO:AC composite material. The ZnO:AC composite was characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), BET surface area measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As-prepared ZnO:AC composite exhibited higher photocatalytic activity when compared to the commercial ZnO and untreated activated carbon; this was testified by the degradation of acid violet dye using ZnO:AC and commercial ZnO. The effect of various parameters such as initial dye concentration, catalyst loading, pH of the medium, source and intensity of illumination on the photocatalytic degradation of acid violet using ZnO:AC were investigated. Real time textile effluents have also been considered for the degradation using ZnO:AC composites. The reduction in the chemical oxygen demand (COD) values of the treated effluents revealed a complete destruction of the organic molecules along with the color removal.     

Visible light-activated cadmium-doped ZnO nanostructured photocatalyst for the treatment of methylene blue dye

An attempt was made to prepare Cd-doped ZnO photocatalyst for visible light assisted degradation of a textile dye (methylene blue, MB) in aqueous solutions by a traditional sol–gel process. The as-prepared nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectra techniques. The results showed that the Cd-doped ZnO possess the single-phase hexagonal wurtzite structure. The photocatalytic activity of the nanoparticles under visible light was investigated by measuring the photodegradation of MB in aqueous dispersion. The effects of key operation parameters such as initial dye concentration, catalyst loading as well as initial pH value on the decolorization extents were investigated. The results indicate that the decolorization of the organic molecule followed a pseudo-first-order kinetics according to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. Under the optimum operation conditions, approximately 85.0% dye removal was achieved within 3.5 h.     

Solar/UV-induced photocatalytic degradation of three commercial textile dyes.

The photocatalytic degradation of three commercial textile dyes with different structure has been investigated using TiO(2) (Degussa P25) photocatalyst in aqueous solution under solar irradiation. Experiments were conducted to optimise various parameters viz. amount of catalyst, concentration of dye, pH and solar light intensity. Degradation of all the dyes were examined by using chemical oxygen demand (COD) method. The degradation efficiency of the three dyes is as follows: Reactive Yellow 17(RY17) > Reactive Red 2(RR2) > Reactive Blue 4 (RB4), respectively. The experimental results indicate that TiO(2) (Degussa P25) is the best catalyst in comparison with other commercial photocatalysts such as, TiO(2) (Merck), ZnO, ZrO(2), WO(3) and CdS. Though the UV irradiation can efficiently degrade the dyes, naturally abundant solar irradiation is also very effective in the mineralisation of dyes. The comparison between thin-film coating and aqueous slurry method reveals that slurry method is more efficient than coating but the problems of leaching and the requirement of separation can be avoided by using coating technique. These observations indicate that all the three dyes could be degraded completely at different time intervals. Hence, it may be a viable technique for the safe disposal of textile wastewater into the water streams.     

Photocatalytic degradation of Basic Red 46 and Basic Yellow 28 in single and binary mixture by UV/TiO2/periodate system

The present study deals with the investigation of photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of C.I. Basic Red 46 (BR46) and C.I. Basic Yellow 28 (BY28) dyes in single and binary solutions as a function of periodate ion concentration (IO(4)(-)), irradiation time, initial pH and initial dye concentrations. First order derivative spectrophotometric method was used for to simultaneous analysis of BY28 and BR46 in binary mixtures. Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model was applied to experimental data and apparent reaction rate constant values were calculated. The apparent degradation rate constant values of BR46 were higher than those of BY28 for all experiments in single dye solutions. On the other hand, the significant reductions were observed for the apparent degradation rate constant values of the BR46 in the presence of BY28 in binary solutions whereas TOC removal efficiency slightly enhanced in binary system. The highest TOC removal efficiency was obtained at pH 3.0 by adding 5mM periodate ion in to the solution in the presence of 1g/L TiO(2) for both dye solutions. After 3h illumination, 68, 76 and 75% mineralization were found for 100mg/L BY28, 100mg/L BR46 and 50+50mg/L mixed solutions, respectively.     

Photocatalytic degradation of Direct Red 23 dye using UV/TiO2: Effect of operational parameters

In this study, the photocatalytic degradation of Direct Red 23 (Scarlet F-4BS) was investigated in UV/TiO2 system. The effect of catalyst loading and pH on the reaction rate was ascertained and optimum conditions for maximum degradation were determined. The results obtained showed that acidic pH is proper for the photocatalytic removal of Direct Red 23. In addition, the effects of several cations (Cu2+, Al3+, Cr3+, and Sn4+) and anions (BiO3(-), SO4(2-), and CN(-)) and C2H5OH were examined in this photocatalytic process. On the order hand, three types of catalysts (Fe2O3, SnO2, and ZnO) were compared with TiO2. After 90 min reaction, the relative decomposition order established was UV/TiO2>UV/SnO2>UV/Fe2O3>UV/ZnO.     

Studies on TiO(2)/ZnO photocatalysed degradation of lignin

The photocatalytic degradation of lignin obtained from wheat straw kraft digestion has been investigated by using TiO(2) and ZnO semiconductors. ZnO has been found to be a better photocatalyst than TiO(2). The different variables studied, include catalyst dose, solution pH, oxidant concentration and initial concentration of the substrate. The degradation of lignin was favorable at pH 11. Optimum values of catalyst dose and oxidant concentration were found to be 1g/l and 12.2 x 10(-6) M, respectively. The degradation of the organic compound was also evaluated as COD removal and increase in the COD removal was observed with increase in degradation rate. An attempt has also been made to explore the applicability of ZnO in immobilized mode for the degradation of lignin under solar light for industrial scale application. Further the comparative evaluation of ZnO in slurry/immobilized mode has been carried out.     

Controllable synthesis of SnO2 photocatalyst with superior photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue dye solution

SnO₂ photocatalyst was successfully synthesised by novel chemical route in hydrothermal environment and annealed at two different temperatures viz 550 and 600 °C, respectively. The crystal structure, optical properties, surface and bulk morphology have been characterised using various tools like X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Cubic, spheres and porous like morphology of SnO₂ photocatalyst was successfully confirmed using SEM micrographs and TEM. In addition to this the photocatalytic activity was evaluated towards the degradation of methylene blue dye solution. SnO₂ photocatalyst annealed at 600 °C exhibits excellent photocatalytic efficiency which may be attributed to the unique morphology, high crystalline nature and charge separation. The photocatalyst efficiency was further tested towards the concentration of dye, catalyst dosage and pH of the dye. The involvement of ?OH in the photocatalytic reaction was evidenced using trapping experiment by employing different scavengers. The photocatalyst was moderately active, stable upto its fifth usage and stability of the photocatalyst before and after the photocatalytic reaction was also been studied using XRD and SEM.     

Optimized photocatalytic degradation of Alcian Blue 8 GX in the presence of TiO2 suspensions

The photocatalytic degradation of Alcian Blue 8 GX, a cationic copper phthalocyanine dye, has been investigated in aqueous suspensions containing the commercial catalyst TiO(2) P-25. The photodegradation of the organic molecule follows approximately a pseudo-first kinetic order, according to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The effect of catalyst concentration, pH of the initial solution and the H(2)O(2) concentration upon the reaction rate was ascertained. It was shown that the photocatalytic degradation reaction can be mathematically described as a function of parameters such as pH, H(2)O(2) concentration and irradiation time, being modeled by the use of the response surface methodology. Optimized values for oxidizing agent, concentration, pH and UV exposure time for the studied system were determined.     

Photocatalytic degradation of phosphamidon on semiconductor oxides

The photocatalytic degradation of a small concentration of an organo-phosphorous (OP) insecticide phosphamidon, in water, on ZnO and TiO(2) is investigated. Of the two semiconductor oxides, TiO(2) is found to be more effective as a photocatalyst for this reaction. Several factors such as concentration of phosphamidon, pH of the system, catalyst loading and presence of anions are found to influence the degradation rate. The reaction follows apparent first-order kinetics, though at higher concentrations, there is a reduction in the order of the reaction. There is a simultaneous formation and decomposition of H(2)O(2) in the system, resulting in a periodic increase and decrease in its concentration. The catalyst TiO(2) is effective for the degradation of phosphamidon in direct sunlight and thus opens the possibility of solar decontamination of wastewater containing small amounts of OP pesticides.     

Removal of anionic dyes from aqueous solutions by adsorption of chitosan-based semi-IPN hydrogel composites

Semi-IPN hydrogel composites for dye adsorption studies were prepared via photopolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) macromer and acrylamide (AAm) monomer in the presence of chitosan (CS). Swelling properties and kinetics of the hydrogel composites were investigated in aqueous solution and Acid Red 18 (AR 18) solution. The adsorption studies showed that the adsorption capacity for AR 18 increased with the increase of initial dye concentration and chitosan content in the hydrogels, but decreased with the increase of pH and ionic strength of dye solutions. Absorption kinetics of AR 18 followed pseudo second-order kinetic model at pH 2.0. The adsorption capacities for Acid Orange 7 (AO 7), Methyl Orange (MO) and Basic Violet 14 (BV 14) were also examined at pH 2.0, and the equilibrium adsorption data of AR 18, AO 7 and MO well fitted the Langmuir isotherm. The hydrogel composites could be potentially used as absorbents for anionic dye removal in wastewater treatment process.