Polyaniline Supported Palladium Catalyzed Reductive Degradation of Dyes Under Mild Condition

Abstract

Polyaniline supported palladium catalyst was applied in the reductive degradation of organic dyes such as Methylene Blue, Rhodamine B, and Methyl Orange in presence of sodium borohydride as an environmental-friendly approach. Role of pH, catalyst amount, and catalyst support were investigated thoroughly to achieve complete and efficient degradation within few minutes under ambient condition. Heterogeneous nature of the catalyst allowed easy recovery by centrifugation and the catalyst was recycled for five cycles with slightly reduced activity. Recovered catalyst was characterized by ICP-AES and TEM and a slight decrease in the activity of the catalyst was attributed to the agglomeration of the palladium nanoparticles.