Abstract
The fundamental aim of this project was to assess the sonophotocatalytic degradation of textile dyes mostly eluted from industries into wastewater. Such a pretreatment of wastewater makes the water suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes and thereby helps protect the ecosystem. The main objective of this research was to degrade real samples and laboratory-prepared samples sonophotocatalytically using a silver-impregnated ZnO photocatalyst. Reactive dyes, including Fast Yellow AB (FY AB) and Remazol Brilliant Violet-5R (RBV-5R), were degraded via this technique under optimum and enhanced conditions. The photocatalyst was synthesized through a wet impregnation process and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and UV/vis spectroscopy to examine the morphology, composition, and functional groups of the photocatalyst. Parameters including pH, dosage, dye concentration, scavengers, and effects of oxidizing agents were considered. Under optimal conditions, the degradations were 95.7 and 88.9% for RBV-5R and FY AB, respectively, in 60 min. The pH and oxidizing agents played important roles in the degradation process. Only 43.8 and 32.5% of RBV-5R and FY AB, respectively, were degraded in the absence of an oxidizing agent. With the addition of oxidizing agents, 95.7 and 88.9% of RBV-5R and FY AB degradation occurred, respectively. The optimal pH values for RBV 5-R and FY-AB were 8 and 12, respectively. A comparison between the photocatalytic and sonophotocatalytic processes revealed degradation efficiencies of 41 and 33% for RBV-5R and FY-AB, respectively, by the photocatalytic process. Therefore, results indicate the productivity of the sonophotocatalytic degradation process.