Response surface approach for visible light assisted photocatalytic degradation of ortho nitrophenol by magnetically separable TiO2/CS nanocomposite

Visible light induces photocatalytic degradation technology has gained increasing interest in the treatment of organic pollutants for the wastewater system. In this study, magnetically separable nanocomposite (M-TiO2/CS) was successfully synthesized with a narrow band gap (2.85 eV) than pure TiO2. A central composited design (CCD) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) was effectively utilized to inquire about the photo-catalytic degradation of ONP degradation by using M-TiO2/CS. Three independent factors including the M-TiO2/CS loading, initial ONP concentration, and pH of the solution were examined in details. Based on the results obtained from RSM analyses, an efficient pathway leading to the high degradation rate (92%) was achieved by applying 0.02 g of M-TiO2/CS dosage with 30 mg/L of a concentration of ONP at pH 6 for 180 min. The experimental results fit well with the derived response model (R-2 = 0.9789). The current study proposed a cost-effective and highly efficient approach to wastewater pollution issues.