Photodegradation of aqueous eosin yellow dye by carbon-doped TiO2 photocatalyst

Abstract

In this study, a novel photocatalyst, carbon-doped TiO₂ was prepared via a sol-gel technique with titanium (III) chloride as a precursor. The characterization of C-doped TiO₂ was obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and BET surface area analyses. The prepared catalyst’s photocatalytic activity was investigated using UV irradiation for the photo-oxidation of eosin yellow (EY) dye. The photocatalysis of EY dye was performed under various experimental parameters such as solution pH and oxidant dosage (H₂O₂). The prepared photocatalyst dosages were also taken separately to optimize process efficiency. About 77.43% of EY decolorization was obtained at an optimum pH of 3, and the performance was also observed by varying the oxidant concentration ranging from 5-10 mM. The % decolorization was higher for C-doped TiO₂-200 photocatalyst (81.88%) compared to carbon-doped TiO₂-400 photocatalyst (75.55%). It can be concluded that the carbon-doped TiO₂, calcined at 200°C, can effectively decolorize EY dye in an aqueous medium.