Photo-mineralization of azo dye reactive yellow 145 in aqueous medium by TiO2-coated non-woven fibres

Abstract

This study aims the degradation of the Reactive Yellow 145 dye (RY 145), chosen as a model molecule in aqueous solution. Photocatalytic experiments have been conducted at ambient temperature in a lab-scale batch reactor, operating with TiO2 catalyst supported on paper in an aqueous medium. The ultraviolet irradiation was provided by using an artificial source. The evolution of the pollutant concentration has been followed over time by spectrophotometry and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The Mineralization and identification of reactive intermediates products were also studied. The results obtained indicate that TiO2 has the most interesting photocatalytic properties and that the measurement of the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) has an important abatement of the organic load of an order of 89.13%. The identification of photoproducts helped to better understand the mechanism of the molecule attack by hydroxyl radicals.