Synthesis and Characterization of TiO2 Nanoparticles Doping on Cellulose as Adsorbent for Removal of Rhodamine B in Aqueous Solution

Cellulose from banana fruit bunch was used as a precursor for doping titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) in producing of TiO 2 /cellulose adsorbent.  Cellulose was obtained by chemical impregnation using potassium hydroxide (KOH) and followed by the hydrothermal process at 250 o C for 5 h. The mixture of TiO 2 nanoparticles and cellulose was carried out into hydrothermal reactor under de-ionized water and ethanol and heated up to 200 o C for 4 h in graphite furnace. Surface morphology analysis showed that the TiO 2 clearly immobilized on the surface of cellulose with an increasing roughness of surface and irregular size of porosity. The development of the amorphous to the crystalline phase of TiO 2 /cellulose was clearly observed by the XRD. The effectiveness of TiO 2 /cellulose for removal of rhodamine B was investigated from different parameters of adsorption in aqueous solution. Kinetic models were well described by the pseudo-first and second-order with the best correlation coefficient (R 2 ) attributing to the occurrence of chemisorption and physisorption mechanism.