Radiolytic decolorization study of aqueous solutions of methylene blue dye

Abstract

In the present work, the gamma radiolytic decolorization study of aqueous solutions of Methylene Blue, a cationic dye, was carried out. Due to relatively stable structure compared to other dyes, the traditional treatment methods have been found ineffective to decolorize Methylene Blue dye solutions. Use of high energy radiations like gamma radiations either alone or in presence of some additives has proved to be very effective in decolorizing the dye effluent. Various systems of Methyene Blue dye containing different concentrations of dye solutions were exposed to different doses of gamma radiations (using GC-900 60Co source housed at Department Of Chemistry, R.T.M. Nagpur University, Nagpur). The decolorization of dye was followed as a function of decrease in absorbance which was calculated using Spectronic D-20 spectrophotometer. Almost 98% decolorization was achieved by gamma radiations with dose of 0.3 kGy. The change in process parameters like pH, conductance etc were also recorded. The effect of operating parameters such as initial dye concentration, pH of dye solutions and addition of H2O2 on the extent of decoloration was also investigated.