Degradation of Reactive Dye in Aqueous Solution by Fenton, Photo-Fenton Process and Combination Process with Activated Charcoal and TiO2

In the present work, a comparative efficiency of photo-Fenton (PF) treatment process and its combined process with activated carbon (AC) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) have been investigated using reactive yellow 145 as a model compound. These processes are based on in situ production of hydroxyl radical, a highly strong oxidant, which allows the degradation of organic dye until their mineralization into CO2 and H2O. The effect of different process parameters, such as initial dye concentration, pH of the solution, Fe2+ concentration, catalyst and adsorbent loadings, and effect of various systems and irradiation times have been studied. The degradation of the dye was monitored by decolorization and COD analysis and then analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and IR analysis. Obtained results showed that PF combined with titanium dioxide (PF-TiO2) for removal of TOC was more efficient than PF or combination with AC. About 73.7% of TOC removal was obtained after 240 min of UV–F–TiO2 process, whereas the PF and UV–F–AC process yielded TOC reduction of 61.5% and 54.8% after 240 min. Mineralization studied reveals that effectiveness of treatment processes for RY145 is UV–F–TiO2 > PF > UV–F–AC > F–AC > F–TiO2.