Modification of ACFs by chemical vapor deposition and its application for removal of methyl orange from aqueous solution

Viscose activated carbon fibers （ACFs） were characterized using specific surface area, scanning electron modified with chemical vapor deposition （CVD）. The samples were microscopy （SEM）, pore size distribution and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to investigate the adsorption behavior of modified ACFs for methyl orange（MO） from its aqueous solutions. The results show that the adsorption isotherms of MO onto modified ACFs well follows the Langmuir isotherm equation. The adsorption kinetics of MO can be well described by the pseudo second-order kinetic model. The adsorption process involves the intra-particle diffusion, but is not the only rate-controlling step. Thermodynamic parameters including AG, AH and AS were calculated, suggesting that the adsorption of MO onto modified ACFs is a spontaneous, exothermic and physisorption process. FTIR result indicates that the major adsorption mechanism of modified ACFs for MO is hydrogen bond.

Comparative Studies on Degradation of Methyl Orange by Nanostructured Zinc and Zinc Oxide Films

Nanostructured zinc and zinc oxide films were prepared by magnetron sputtering processes and succeeded air annealing treatments. Comparison of reductive degradation rate of methyl orange （MO） by zinc films and photocatalytic degradation rate of MO by zinc oxide films was carried out. Both reductive degradation and photocatalytic degradation process of MO by zinc and zinc oxide films can be described by first order kinetic model. It was found that although MO liquid was most quickly decolorized by metallic zinc films, the mineraliza- tion of MO was not thorough. Observation of extra ultraviolet absorption peaks indicated the formation of aromatic intermediates. On the other hand, although the photocatalytic degradation rate of MO liquid by ZnO films was only as about 1/4 large as the reductive degradation rate by zinc films, no signs of aromatic intermediates were found. Moreover, it was found that partially oxidized zinc oxide film showed higher photocatalytic efficiency than the totally oxidized ZnO films. Synergy effect between zinc and zinc oxide phase in the partially oxidized films was considered to be responsible for the higher photocatalytic efficiency.

Adsorption Behavior of Methyl Orange onto Modified Ultrafine Coal Powder

The adsorption of methyl orange onto ultrafine coal powder （UCP） and modified ultrafine coal powder （MUCP） from aqueous solutions were studied, in which the influence of contact time, dosage, temperature, pH, and methyl orange concentration in the solution were investigated. The adsorption kinetics of methyl orange by UCP and MUCP can be described by the Lagergren first-order and pseudo second-order kinetic models, respectively. The adsorption isotherms of methyl orange onto MUCP at 303, 313 and 323 K follow the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm equation. Values of △G^0 for methyl orange adsorption onto MUCP are -22.55, -23.10 and -23.79 kJ·mol^-1 at 303, 313, and 323 K, respectively. The values of △H^0 and △S^0 are -3.74 kJ· mol^-1 and 61.99 J·mol^-1, respectively. The adsorption process is spontaneous and exothermic.

Photodegradation of methyl orange by BiOI-sensitized TiO_2

BiOI-sensitized titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalysts were prepared by a deposition method at room temperature and characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area measurements. The photocatalytic activities of the catalysts were evaluated for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) solution under UV and visible light irradiation. The effects of catalyst amount, initial pH value, initial concentration of MO, as well as KI amount were investigated. The repeatability of photocatalytic activity of the 1.7% BiOI/TiO2 catalyst was also tested. It is shown that BiOI sensitization enhances the photocatalytic activities of TiO2. With BiOI content increasing, the photocatalytic activities of BiOI/TiO2 under UV and visible light irradiation first increase, reaching a maximum around BiOI content of 1.7%, and then decrease with further increasing BiOI content. The 1.7% BiOI/TiO2 catalyst obviously exhibits much higher visible light photocatalytic activity than P25, and its UV light photocatalytic activity is slightly higher than that of P25. Under the conditions of a catalytic dose of 1.5 g.L-1, initial pH of 3.0, initial MO concentration of 20 mg.L-1, UV power of 300 W, and air flow rate of 0.8 L.min-1, complete degradatio is achieved within 60 min. The repeatability of photocatalytic activity of the 1.7% BiOI/TiO2 catalyst is highly reliable.

Mechanisms of Enhancement of Photocatalytic Properties and Activity of Nd^(3+)-Doped TiO_2 for Methyl Orange Degradation

Nd^(3+)-doped TiO_2 powders were prepared by the sol-gel method. Their crystal pattern and parameter, the specific surface area, the surface chemical state of Ti and the ratio of O/Ti were characterized. The results show that Nd impurity hinders the crystal transformation, and decreases the relative intensity of (101) peak. The crystallite sizes of Nd^(3+)-doped TiO_2 powders decrease while their specific surface area increase owing to the Nd^(3+) doping. The XPS measurement shows that the content of Ti(Ⅲ) and ratio of O/Ti on their surfaces increase significantly with the increase of Nd^(3+) dosage. The adsorption and photodegradation experiments show that the optimum molar content of Nd^(3+) is 1.2%.

Photocatalytic Dye Methyl Orange Decomposition on Ternary Sulfide (CdIn2S4) under Visible-light

A novel and efficient photocatalyst, CdIn2S4, was simply prepared by a programmed temperature hydrothermal method. The product had a nanometer size （10-15 nm） and strong absorption in the range of 200 to 580 nm, and it exhibited visible-light photocatalytic activity to decompose dye methyl orange in aqueous system.

Photoelectrocatalytic activity of immobilized Yb doped WO3 photocatalyst for degradation of methyl orange dye

Pure WOand Yb:WOthin films have been synthesized by spray pyrolysis technique. Effect of Yb doping concentration on photoelectrochemical, structural, morphological and optical properties of thin films are studied. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that all thin films are polycrystalline nature and exhibit monoclinic crystal structure. The 3 at% Yb:WOfilm shows superior photoelectrochemical（PEC） performance than that of pure WOfilm and it shows maximum photocurrent density（Iph= 1090 μA/cm） having onset potentials around +0.3 V/SCE in 0.01 M HClO. The photoelectrocatalytic process is more effective than that of the photocatalytic process for degradation of methyl orange（MO） dye. Yb doping in WOphotocatalyst is greatly effective to degrade MO dye. The enhancement in photoelectrocatalytic activity is mainly due to the suppressing the recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The mineralization of MO dye in aqueous solution is studied by measuring chemical oxygen demand（COD） values.

Sonocatalytic degradation of methyl orange in the presence of (nanometer and ordinary) anatase TiO_2 powders

The nanometer and ordinary anatase titanium dioxide(TiO_2) powders were adopted as the sonocatalysts for the degradation of methyl orange used as a model compound for the first time. It was found that the sonocatalytic degradation effect of methyl orange in the presence of TiO_2 powder were much better than that without TiO_2, but the sonocatalytic activity of the nanometer anatase TiO_2 particle was obviously higher than that of ordinary anatase TiO_2 particle. Although there are many factors influencing sonocatalytic degradation of methyl orange, the experimental results showed that the best degradation ratio of methyl orange could be obtained when the experimental conditions were: initial concentration 15 mg/L, nanometer anatase TiO_2 adding amount 750 mg/L, ultrasonic frequency 40 kHz, output power 50 W, pH = 3.0 and temperature 40℃ within 150 min. In addition, the catalytic activity of reused nanometer anatase TiO_2 catalyst was also studied and found to decline gradually comparing with initial nanometer anatase TiO_2 catalyst. All experiments indicated that the method of the sonocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in the presence of TiO_2 powder was an advisable choice for non- or low-transparent organic wastewaters.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of H_3PW_(12)O_(40)/TiO_2 Nanometer Photocatalyst and Its Catalytic Performance for Methyl Orange

H3PW12O40/TiO2 nanometer photocatalyst was prepared by one step hydrothermal synthesis from H3PW12O40·nH20 and Ti（OBu）4, simultaneously realizing the load and modification of H3PW12O40. The catalyst was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）, powder X-ray diffraction（XRD）, nitrogen adsorp- tion-desorption analysis and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. The results show that the catalyst is Keggin struc- ture and crystallized in anatase structure, the diameter and specific area of the prepared catalyst are 3.8 nm and 177.9 m^2/g, respectively, and its dispersity is better. The photocatalytic properties were compared for TiO2H3PW12O40/TiO2 prepared by impregnation and H3PW12O40/TiO2 prepared by hydrothermal method with methyl orange as a probe. The effects of H3PW12O40 loadings, crystallization method, initial pH and concentration of dye solution on the degradation of methyl orange were investigated.

Synergy of adsorption and visible light photocatalysis to decolor methyl orange by activated carbon/nanosized CdS/chitosan composite

Activated carbon/nanosized CdS/chitosan(AC/n-CdS/CS) composites as adsorbent and photoactive catalyst were prepared under low temperature(≤60 ℃) and ambient pressure.Methyl orange(MO) was chosen as a model pollutant to evaluate synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalytic decolorization by this innovative photocatalyst under visible light irradiation.Effects of various parameters such as catalyst amount,initial MO concentration,solution pH and reuse of catalyst on the decolorization of MO were investigated to optimize operational conditions.The decolorization of MO catalyzed by AC/n-CdS/CS fits the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics model,and a surface reaction,where the dyes are absorbed,is the controlling step of the process.Decolorization efficiency of MO is improved with the increase in catalyst amount within a certain range.The photodecolorization of MO is more efficient in acidic media than alkaline media.The decolorization efficiency of MO is still higher than 84% after five cycles and 60 min under visible light irradiation,which confirms the reusability of AC/n-CdS/CS composite catalyst.

Fabrication of chitosan microspheres for efficient adsorption of methyl orange

In this article, morphology, structure and size controllable chitosan microspheres with high mechanical strength were synthesized by microfluidic technology combining chemical crosslinking and used as an adsorbent for methyl orange. The synthesized adsorbents were characterized using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), and an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer(EDS). The effect of pH revealed that the adsorption process depended on pH and the pH variation of methyl orange solution after adsorption indicated that adsorption capacity was affected through the associated role of chitosan nature and pH variation. Experimental results suggested that the as-prepared chitosan microspheres were controlled within a narrow size distribution(coefficients of variation is 1.81%), whose adsorption capacity reached to 207 mg·g^(-1) and mechanical strength was suitable to resist forces. In addition, the adsorption isotherm was well fitted with the Langmuir model, and the adsorption kinetic was best described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.The high performance microfluidic-synthesized chitosan microspheres have promising potentials in the applications of removing dyes from wastewater.

Kinetic Modeling of the Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange by Supported TiO2

The photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange （MO） in UV/Supported-TiO2 system was investigated and a kinetic model was presented. The experimental results show that the photocatalytic degradation rate is favored by high concentration of dye in solution and is enhanced by the solution temperature. A simple kinetic model has been proposed which can describe the discoloration process in an adequate way. The calculated results obtained were in good agreement with experimental data. The model predicts the concentration of MO during the photocatalytic degradation process.

Selective-adsorption Removal of Methyl Orange(MO) by CTAB-assisted AgBr Powder

The AgBr powder was prepared by a hydrothermal method via a reaction of AgNO3 with hexadecyltrimethy ammonium bromide（CTAB）,namely,CTAB-assisted synthesis method.The selective-adsorption ability of the AgBr samples for the MO was evaluated in a MO and Rhodamine B mixed solution via ultraviolet-visible spectra.Compared with the AgBr sample prepared from NaBr solution,it was found that the AgBr powder synthesized by CTAB-assisted method exhibited high selective-adsorption performance for the MO in the MO-RhB mixed system.After aged for 60 min,the MO could be efficiently removed by CTAB-assisted AgBr powder.Considering the potential wide applications of the selective adsorption,the CTAB-assisted AgBr provides a new and efficient method for the removal of various dyes and is possible to be widely used in industries.

Degradation of Methyl Orange in Water by Contact Glow Discharge Electrolysis

The degradation of methyl orange in a neutral phosphate buffer solution was investigated by means of contact glow discharge electrolysis （CGDE）. The methyl oranges were degraded and eventually decomposed into inorganic carbon when CGDE was conducted under the applied DC voltage of 480 V and current of ca. 80 mA. As the intermediate products, some phenolic compounds were detected as well as carboxylic acids. Experimental results showed that the oxidation process followed the first-order reaction law. Based on the analysis of the ultraviolet （UV） spectra of the solution and the intermediate products from High Pressure Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrum （HPLC-MS）, the reaction pathway was proposed. The attack of hydroxyl radicals was considered to be a key step to start the whole oxidation process.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of CdIn_2S_4 and Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange under Visible-light Irradiation

CdIn2S4 microspheres were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method with the temperature ranging from 120 to 200 ℃. X-ray diffraction, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, nitrogen sorption analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the products. It was found that the crystallographic structure and optical property of the products synthesized at different temperature were almost the same. The SBEX of CdIn2S4 products decreased when the synthesized temperature increased, and the largest SBET was 33.16 m2 g-1 （120 ℃ sample）. The degradation of methyl orange （MO） under the visible-light irradiation had been used as a probe reaction to investigate the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared CdIn2S4, which showed that the CdIn2S4 sample synthesized at 120 ℃ presented the best photocatalytic activity for MO degradation.

Removal of Methyl Orange from Aqueous Solution by Mineral-based Porous Granulated Material

Sodium bentonite, graphite, light calcium carbonate and diatomite were used as parent minerals for the mineral-based porous granulated material （MPGM） which was tested for the removal of methyl orange （MO）, a cationic dye, fIom aqueous solution. The adsorption capacity was evaluated under the conditions of varied initial pH, adsorbent dosage, dye concentration, temperature, reaction time, and static regeneration. Experimental results showed that the maximum capacity of MPGM adsorbing MO was more than 80 mg·g-1 The adsorption equilibrium and kinetics of MPGM followed typical pseudo-first-order and Langmuir adsorption models respectively. The thermodynamic parameters of △G°, △H° and △S° showed that the adsorption was an endothermic and spontaneous process without remarkable change. The spent MPGM was regenerated 5 times and probable pathway for the efficient and re-utilizing adsorbent has been proposed. The results indicate that MPGM has a structure of silicon-aluminium-calcium-carbon, and could be employed as porous, low density, and large specific surface area alternatives for the removal of cations dyes from industrial wastewater.

Sonochemical Decolorization of Methyl Orange in Aqueous Solution

The sonochemical decolorization of Methylene Orange was studied using a 24 kHz Ultrasound device with a 1.4 cm diameter horn. pH, power density, the effects of pH and power density on decolorization were discussed. The combined effect of radiate time, the initial concentration of dyes and the addition of Fe^2＋ on the decolorization was studied using response surface methodology. The results showed that the factorial central composite design was successfully employed for experimental design and predication of the results. AtpH = 2.8, T=30℃, power denstity= 300 W/L and Fe^2＋ of 2 mg/L, the decolorization percentage of 5 mg/L dye solution reached 96% after 60 mill ultreatment. The rate of decolorization of the dye was greatly improved in the presence of Fe^2＋. The sonolysis of the dye followed first-order kinetics.

Enhanced Adsorption of Methyl Orange onto Self-assembled Hydrogel with Anatase Titania Nanotube and Graphene

A novel composites hydrogel adsorbent was facilely synthesized for efficient removal of acid dyes from aqueous solution.The composite hydrogel consisting of TiO_2 nanotubes(TN) and graphene oxide(GO)(H-TN-GO) was characterized by BrunauerEmmett-Teller(BET),transmission electron microscope(TEM),scanning electron microscope(SEM),Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope(XPS).Experimental results elucidated that columnar hydrogel could be tunably prepared with self-assembly by adjusting the proportion of GO/TN,mixing time and pH.The properties of adsorption and regeneration on methyl orange(MO)onto H-TN-GO were investigated respectively.The maximal adsorption capacity of H-TN-GO for MO reached 933.8 and 513.7mg/g under the pH of 4.0 and 6.8,respectively.The adsorption capacity of MO reached the maximum when pH was equivalent to4.0,which attributed to increasing electrostatic attraction.Besides,the adsorption behavior was fitted reasonably better with Freundlich isotherm model than Langmuir model;the adsorption speed was rapid and the removal ratio almost reached 99.5% when the concentration of MO was less than 100 mg/L.After the used adsorbent was irradiated with the ultraviolet ray of 500 W for 3 h,its adsorption capacity could be recovered without significant loss.

Kinetics Study on Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange Catalyzed by Sea Urchin-Like Cu2O

Sea urchin-like cuprous oxide with hollow glass microsphere as core was prepared using sodium sulfite as the reducing agent and sodium acetate-acetic acid as buffer solution in copper sulfate solution. Methyl orange was selected as degradation target for photocatalytic experiments. The photocatalytic activities were investigated by visible spectro- photometer. Photocatalytic kinetics parameters were studied by the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model and Arrhenius formula. It was observed that the sea urchin-like morphology dramatically improved the photocatalytic activity of cuprous oxide. The photo-degradation belongs to the first-order reaction and the maximum degradation rate could reach 94.37%. The activation energy and pre-exponential factor are 41.18 KJ·mol-1 and 1.07 × 106, respectively. After seven times recycling, the sample still showed high photo-catalytic efficiency and stability.

Comparative Study on the Acid-Base Indicator Properties of Natural Dye, Turmeric Rhizome (Curcuma longa) and Synthetic Dyes

Acid-Base Indicator, Turmeric Rhizome (Curcuma longa) was extracted from the root of a turmeric plant. The turmeric was peeled, washed and dried in an oven at 60°C. It was ground into powder and soaked in hot and cold ethanol for the extraction. The extract was filtered and part of it was concentrated to yield a reasonable quantity of turmeric indicator. On standardization of acid with a base, 0.05 M base respectively of Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and Disodium borate (B4Na2O7) were used. Hot and cold extracts of turmeric were used as indicators and were compared with methyl orange and phenolphthalein. On the preliminary test carried out, hot and cold turmeric indicator showed yellow colour in acid medium and orange colour in the base. Methyl orange showed red colour in acid but yellow in the base, phenolphthalein was colourless in acid but pink in the base. During titration there were colour changes at the end points in the entire test carried out. The average volumes at ends points were calculated, the molar concentrations and mass concentrations of the acids used were also determined. The results showed that there was no difference between the natural indicators used and the existing synthetic indicators which are toxic to our environment.