Abstract
In the present study, a magnetically separable photocatalyst (TiO2/SiO2/Fe3O4) has been prepared and used for the photooxidation of methyl orange (MO) dye. The effects of the reaction conditions, such as the dye concentration, catalyst dose, and pH on the reaction rate, were investigated to enhance the photooxidation process. The photocatalytic oxidation of MO was found to follow half-order kinetics. The optimum reaction conditions were found to be a 2000 ppm-TiO2 catalyst dose in an acidic medium. A greater catalyst load had no effect on the degradation rate. The dye concentration negatively affected the reaction rate because of the reduction of light transmittance inside the photoreactor. Reuse of a photocatalyst for several degradation processes with nearly constant efficiency was proved, which is supposed to decrease the final cost of the treatment process.
