Photocatalytic Degradation of AO7 Aqueous Solution Using Ag/CeO2 Catalyst: Modeling of Process Parameters Using Response Surface Methodology

Abstract

In the present study, photocatalytic degradation of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) aqueous solution using Ag/CeO2 catalyst with the presence of UV light was evaluated. The effect of process parameters such as pH, initial dye concentration and Ag/CeO2 dosage were investigated using response surface methodology (RSM) based on three levels of Box-Behnken Design. The effect of process parameters and their binary interactions were analyzed using the polynomial regression model. The experimental data and ANOVA analysis showed that the determination coefficient (R2) and adjusted determination coefficient (R2 adj) were 0.9580 and 0.9161, respectively, demonstrated that the model was significant. The response surface plot was successfully established the interaction effect of process parameters on the photocatalytic degradation of AO7 aqueous solution.