Photocatalytic degradation of the textile dye Reactive Orange 16 in the presence of TiO2 suspensions

The photocatalytic degradation of Reactive Orange 16, a textile azo dye, ha s been investigated in aqueous heterogeneous solutions containing titanium dioxide TiO2 as photocatalyst. The disappearance of the organic molecule fo llows approximately a pseudo-first kinetic order according to the Langmuir- Hinshelwood model. CO2, NO3; NH4+ and SO42- ions have been identified as mi neralization products. Various commercial photocatalysts were compared with respect to their decolorization efficiency, as well as the production of C O2. The effect of pH and H2O2 on the reaction rate was ascertained.