Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange on Bi2O3 and Ag2O-Bi2O3 Nano Photocatalysts

Abstract

<p>The photocatalytic activity of Bi₂O₃ and Ag₂O-Bi₂O₃ was evaluated by degradation of aqueous methyl orange as a model dye effluent. Bi₂O₃ was synthesized using chemical precipitation method. Structural analysis revealed that Bi₂O₃ contain a unique well-crystallized phase and the average crystallite size of 22.4 nm. The SEM analysis showed that the size of Bi₂O₃ particles was mainly in the range of 16-22 nm. The most important variables affecting the photocatalytic degradation of dyes, namely reaction time, initial pH and catalyst dosage were studied, and their optimal amounts were found at 60 min, 5.58 and 0.025 g, respectively. A good correlation was found between experimental and predicted responses, confirming the reliability of the model. Incorporation of Ag₂O in the structure of composite caused decreasing band gap and its response to visible light. Because a high percentage of sunlight is visible light, hence Ag₂O-Bi₂O₃ nano-composite could be used as an efficient visible light driven photocatalyst for degradation of dye effluents by sunlight. Copyright © 2017 BCREC GROUP. All rights reserved</p><p><em>Received: 15^th August 2016; Revised: 20^th December 2016; Accepted: 21^st December 2016</em></p><p><strong>How to Cite:</strong> Hosseini, S.A., Saeedi, R. (2017). Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange on Bi₂O₃ and Ag₂O-Bi₂O₃ Nano Photocatalysts. <em>Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering &amp; Catalysi</em>s, 12 (1): 96-105 (doi:10.9767/bcrec.12.1.623.96-105)</p><p><strong>Permalink/DOI:</strong> http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.12.1.623.96-105</p><p> </p>