Degradation of azo dye RED ME4BL treated with immobilised bimetallic zero-valent iron nanoparticles doped with palladium

The present investigation aims to optimise the degradation of an azo dye RED ME4BL in the presence of Zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) particles doped with palladium, immobilised on polyurethane matrix (PUF). A fixed volume (50 mL) of the dye solution was taken for analysis. The factors investigated included contact time (10-30 minutes), pH (5.0-10.0) and initial RED ME4BL concentration (50-250 mg/L). Phytotoxicity assay was carried out using Sorghum seeds and ecotoxicity study was experimented using Artemia salina. The results revealed that a maximum degradation of 92.0% was seen after 20 minutes. The optimal pH was found to be 5.0 and the degradation reaction was dose-dependent. Phytotoxicity and Eco-toxicity assays showed that the nanoparticle treated dye solutions showed better results than the untreated dye sample, in terms of germination and survival rate.