Photocatalytic Degradation of Tartrazine Dyes Using TiO2–Chitosan Beads under Sun Light Irradiation

The photodegradation of tartrazine anionic dye has been carried out using TiO2–chitosan beads (CTC). The as-synthesized CTC was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The enhanced photocatalytic activity of CTC for the degradation of tartrazine dyes was attributed to the synergistic effect of TiO2 and chitosan (CS). The photodegradation experiments were carried out by varying different parameters such as initial dye concentration, pH, irradiation time, and light intensity.The results showed that the percentage of tartrazine dye removal increased with decreasing initial dye concentration and increasing irradiation time. The experimental results show that under sun light irradiation, 99.37% of tartrazine is removed after 180 min using TiO2–chitosan beads. The best photoactivity is obtained for a concentration of 10 mg/L and a catalyst dose of 0.25 g at free pH.