Study of the photocatalytic effect of the Ti-doped hydroxyapatite in the degradation of methylene blue solution

Organic dyes and colouring textile agents are persistent pollutant materials that are difficult to decompose by microbiological treatment processes. Their oxidation through photocatalysis is an alternative way to prevent contamination of the environment. In this work, calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (HAP) was synthesized and doped with different amounts of titanium. The performance capability of prepared catalyst to degrade methylene blue dye (MB) in aqueous heterogeneous solutions has been demonstrated. The main parameters which govern the photocatalytic treatment efficiency, such as titanium amount in HAP, initial concentration of MB, amount of the catalyst added to solution, UV-irradiation period and bubbling oxygen have been investigated. Photodegradation of  MB is found to be effective with HAP/Ti 11% in oxygenated medium. However, pH has no significant effect on the yield of discoloration.