Investigation of Photocatalytic Degradation of Toxic Dye in Aqueous Solution in the Presence of Na-13X TiO2 Composite

Abstract

The utilization of semiconductor-supported composites for the photocatalytic degradation and decolorization of toxic pollutants has proven to be a highly effective technique in the removal of pollutants from water bodies. In the present investigation, the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue is investigated using a synthesized TiO2/Na-13X composite. The composite material is characterized using various analytical techniques such as XRD, FTIR, and SEM-EDS. The findings demonstrate the successful combination of TiO2 and Na-13X, with TiO2 fragments coating the Na-13X surface. The composite material exhibits a zero charge point of 7.9. When comparing the pH effect of TiO2 and the TiO2/Na-13X composite (pH 4-8) after 150 min of photodegradation tests, a removal efficiency of 96.4% is achieved with TiO2 at pH 7 and 95.6% at pH 8, while the TiO2/Na-13X composite completely removes (100%) methylene blue at pH 7 and 8. This high removal efficiency of the TiO2/Na-13X composite is supported by a synergistic effect between TiO2 and the zeolite support material. Furthermore, the impact of initial dye concentration (25-100 mg/L) on the removal efficiency is examined. The results indicate a decrease in removal efficiency as the concentration increases. Specifically, at 150 min and a concentration of 25 mg/L, complete removal of methylene blue is achieved, while at 100 mg/L, the removal efficiency decreases to 86.9%. Finally, it is determined that the kinetic degradation of methylene blue follows the first-order Langmuir-Hinshelwood model.