Photodegradation of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) in a Batch Reactor Using Silver Phosphate/titanium Dioxide as Photocatalyst

Abstract

Abstract This study investigates the use of silver phosphate/titanium dioxide for the photocatalytic degradation of reactive black 5 (RB5) in a photocatalytic reactor. This research examined the optimum concentration of silver phosphate for dye degradation and found that the highest reaction rate can be obtained with 27.5 percent silver-phosphate in the catalyst. The effects of pH, catalyst loading, and the initial concentration of the dye in the wastewater were studied sequentially to determine the effects on the degradation of RB5. The highest degradation rates were found at absorption wavelength <480nm using blue light. Furthermore, the degradation rate was also found to increase with a higher or lower pH value, at higher catalyst loading, and lower initial dye concentration. This study concludes the potency of the catalyst as a visible-light active photocatalyst for possible industrial wastewater treatment application and the effectiveness of the catalyst produced from in situ deposition method and under visible light irradiation.