ABSTRACT Aqueous solutions of indigo carmine, a hazardous dye, are photodegraded under ultraviolet light using TiO2 coated non-woven fibres as photocatalyst. The process has been carried out at different pH values, concentrations of the dye, and effects of the electron acceptor H2O2. It is found that the photocatalytic degradation process follows first-order reaction kinetics. In addition, the degradation efficiency (%) increased with decrease in pH, which implies that the pH is a very important parameter in dye adsorption. In order to evaluate the effect of the electron acceptor, the effect of H2O2 on the oxidation process is also monitored and it is found that generation of hydroxyl radicals and retardation of electron-hole recombination takes place. The used immobilized TiO2 photocatalyst can be recovered and reused with no decline in the photodegradation efficiency. It was observed that photocatalytic oxidation by TiO2 is an economic and faster mode of removing indigo carmine from aqueous solution.
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