Sonocatalytic removal of an organic dye using TiO2/ Montmorillonite nanocomposite

Abstract

The sonocatalytic performance of the synthesized TiO2/ Montmorillonite K10 (TiO2/MMT) nanocomposite was studied in removal of Basic Blue 3 (BB3) from water. The TiO2/MMT nanocomposite was prepared by hydrothermal method. Scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared were used to characterize the synthesized nanocomposite. The average size of TiO2 nanoparticles decreased from 60-80 nm to 40-60 nm through the immobilization of this semiconductor on the surface of MMT. The obtained results indicated that the sonocatalytic activity of TiO2/MMT nanocomposite was higher than that of pure TiO 2 nanoparticles and MMT particles. Furthermore, the main influence factors on the sonocatalytic activity such as the BB3 concentration, pH of solution, TiO2/MMT dose, power of ultrasonic generator, and inorganic salts were studied. The intermediates of BB3 degradation during the sonocatalytic process in the presence of the TiO2/MMT nanocomposite have been monitored by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.