The photocatalytic degradation of direct blue 14 in the presence of synthetic cerium oxide nanoparticles

Abstract

Cerium oxide nanoparticles are considered promoter and emerging substances due to theirproperties such as redox, transport properties, and oxygen storage capacity. Thus, it can be effectively usedin water treatment technologies. In this study, we investigate the photocatalytic activity of cerium oxidenanoparticles as a photocatalyst for direct bleu 14(organic dye) photodegradation. The influence of severalparameters such as solution pH, initial concentration of dyes and bath temperature on the photocatalyticdegradation was evaluated by using UV spectroscopy. Cerium oxide nanoparticles were synthesizedthrough the chemical precipitation method; first, the experiments were conducted by varying the amountof cerium oxide nanoparticles from 1 to 12 mg for an initially fixed dye concentration of 10 ml/l, a solutionpH which is about 5 and at room temperature; then the pH solution effect was studied for an optimizedadded amount of nanoceria of 6 mg and an ambient temperature, varying the initial pH solution studied ina range between 1.5 and 11.8. Finally, the bath temperature range was studied for 25, 30,35,40,45 and 50°C. The obtained results showed that the total degradation of the organic dye was achieved after 20 minutesin the presence of 6 mg of cerium oxide nanoparticles, for a solution pH of 1.5 and bath temperature of 50°C.