IMPACT OF TiO2 AND H2O2 ON PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF PHODAMINE B UNDER ULTRAVIOLET C (UV-C) RADIATION FOR EFFICIENT POLLUTED WASTEWATER TREATMENT

Abstract

Photocatalytic wastewater treatments applying the semiconductor photocatalysts to remove toxins or pollutants from wastewater become more important nowadays. In this study, the photocatalytic study was firstly conducted on the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RB) dye in tap water by using TiO2 as photocatalysts under short wavelength (high energy) UV-C light irradiation. The results show that a considerable increase in the degradation of RB can be obtained through a combination of TiO2 and UV-C light. In addition, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was added in the RB solution containing TiO2 to improve the degradation efficiency of RB dyes. The result shows that 98 % degradation efficiency of 20 ppm RB is achieved within 180 min irradiation time in the solution containing 0.5 g/l TiO2 and 1 M H2O2 concentrations, which is higher than the reported literature value.