Abstract
The photocatalytic degradation of aqueous solution of Orange II, has been investigated in the presence of ZnO catalyst with calcium oxalate as sacrificial agent. This study demonstrated that the performance of ZnO photocatalyst can be improved by addition of calcium oxalate. Results show that adsorption is an important parameter controlling the degradation phenomena. Indeed, the added oxalate causes a drop in the pH medium, what causes a better adsorption of Orange II on the ZnO surface. The effect of calcium oxalate is to increase the concentration of superoxides (O 2 ·− ) and hydroperoxides (HO2·) radicals, which are key intermediaries in the mechanism of photodegradation because of their powerful force of oxidation.
Highlights
Heterogeneous photocatalysis is an efficient technique to destroy organic pollutants in water (Rajeshwara et al 2008; Garcia et al 2009)
The added oxalate causes a drop in the pH medium, what causes a better adsorption of Orange II on the ZnO surface
The photocatalytic degradation of Orange II follows a kinetic of pseudo-first order
Summary
Heterogeneous photocatalysis is an efficient technique to destroy organic pollutants in water (Rajeshwara et al 2008; Garcia et al 2009). Abstract The photocatalytic degradation of aqueous solution of Orange II, has been investigated in the presence of ZnO catalyst with calcium oxalate as sacrificial agent. This study demonstrated that the performance of ZnO photocatalyst can be improved by addition of calcium oxalate. The added oxalate causes a drop in the pH medium, what causes a better adsorption of Orange II on the ZnO surface.
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