Kinetic Studies of Methylene Blue Degradation using CaTiO3 Photocatalyst from Chicken Eggshells

Abstract

This study details the kinetic of photodegradation of methylene blue in aqueous medium using CaTiO3 photocatalyst. The CaTiO3 catalyst was prepared by sol-gel reaction using CaCO3 derived from chicken eggshell and anatase TiO2 powder. The CaTiO3 particles were prepared using a mixture of starting materials in of (1:1); (1:3); (2:5) and (2:7) CaCO3/TiO2 molar ratio at T = 900°C. The physical and microstructural properties of CaTiO3 microstructural were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and UV/vis spectrometer. As prepared CaTiO3 particles with various composition of CaCO3/TiO2 were then applied for removal of dye molecules under simulated UV irradiation. The effect of initial dye concentration, catalyst composition, and degradation time on the adsorption property of CaTiO3 was systematically investigated. The results reveal that methylene blue (MB) molecules are efficiently adsorbed and degraded within 120 min using CaTiO3 catalysts. Considering the low-cost preparation process and considerably high photocatalytic performance obtained in this work, CaTiO3 can further be used as an efficient photocatalyst for organic pollutant removal from industrial wastewater.