Photocatalytic Removal of Methyl Orange Azo Dye with Simultaneous Hydrogen Production Using Ru-Modified ZnO Photocatalyst

Abstract

The aim of this work is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the photocatalytic process in the Methyl Orange azo dye degradation and simultaneous H2 production by using ZnO doped with ruthenium. Ru-modified ZnO photocatalysts were prepared by precipitation method and were characterized by different techniques (XRF, Raman, XRD, N2 adsorption at −196 °C, and UV–vis DRS). The experiments were carried out in a pyrex cylindrical reactor equipped with a nitrogen distributor device and irradiated by four UV lamps with the main wavelength emission at 365 nm. Different Ru amounts (from 0.10 to 0.50 mol%) were tested in order to establish the optimal amount of the metal to be used for the ZnO doping. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated both in terms of Methyl Orange removal and hydrogen production. The experimental results showed that the best activity, both in terms of H2 production and Methyl Orange degradation, was obtained with the Ru-modified ZnO photocatalyst at 0.25 mol% Ru loading. In particular, after four hours of UV irradiation time, the discoloration and mineralization degree were equal to 83% and 78%, with a simultaneous hydrogen production of 1216 µmol L−1. This result demonstrates the ability of the photocatalytic process to valorize a dye present in wastewater, managing to obtain a hydrogen production comparable with the data present in the literature today in the presence of other sacrificial substances.