Photo catalytic efficiency and kinetic studies of ZnO nanoparticles for the removal of basic dye Rhodamine B

AbstractThe present study reports on the photo catalytic degradation of Rhodamine B, wet chemically synthesized ZnO photocatalyst. The average particle size and shape of synthesized ZnO were 24 nm and spherical, subsequently. The experiment was carried out by irradiating the aqueous solutions of dye containing photocatalysts with UV. The rate of decolourization was estimated from residual concentration spectrophotometrically. The experiment was carried out by varying the amount of catalyst (0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 g/L) and initial concentration of dye (10–40 mg/L). The experimental results indicated that the maximum decolourization (more than 90%) of dyes occurred with ZnO catalyst at 1.5 g/L catalyst dose. The percentage reduction of Rhodamine B was estimated under UV system. Dye adsorption equilibrium was described by the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms over the entire concentration ranging from 10 to 40 mg/L. Adsorption data are used for modelling, from the first- and second-order kinetic equati...