UV SPECTROSCOPY AND KINETIC RESEARCH OF PHOTODEGRADATION OF METHYL ORANGE IN THE PRESENCE OF TITANIUM DIOXIDE AND β-CYCLODEXTRIN OR ITS DERIVATIVES

Abstract

The research is devoted to the study of the effect of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and its derivatives on the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange in aqueous solutions in the presence of titanium dioxide. It has been shown that the kinetics of photodegradation of methyl orange is more accurately described by the pseudo first order equation for all investigated pH values. In the presence of cyclodextrins β-CD and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, acceleration of photodegradation was observed only after 30 min of irradiation. As a result, the oxidation of hydroxyl groups of cyclodextrin occurred. A significant slowdown in photodestruction in the TiO2-β-CD sample during the first 45 min is explained by the formation of inclusion complexes of cyclodextrin with methyl orange, which prevented the destruction of dye. The use of the β-cyclodextrin, its derivatives and increasing the acidity of the medium accelerates the processes of photodestruction of methyl orange in distilled and natural waters. Methyl orange was decolorized for 20 – 25 min in solutions of all investigated cyclodextrin derivatives at pH 2.5. The destruction of methyl orange was most effective with the use of sulfobutyl ether β-CD. The bactericidal lamp (λ = 254 nm) allows to increase the rate of destruction during the irradiation process. Methyl orange discolored much faster under the action of a bactericidal lamp than using only ultraviolet lamps with λ = 365 nm. A slight slowdown in the decomposition process is observed after several irradiation cycles. This may be due to the influence of the formed products of destruction. However, under such conditions, the by-products of reactions decompose much faster. The use of cyclodextrins is possible without significant loss of efficiency up to 8 cycles.