Degradation of azo dye Procion Red MX-5B by photocatalytic oxidation

The photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of a monoazo dye Procion Red MX-5B under various physico-chemical conditions was investigated. Degradation of the dye by PCO was enhanced by augmentation in UV intensity, titanium dioxide and hydrogen peroxide concentrations but was inhibited by increase in initial dye concentration. The PCO process was affected by pH in a peculiar way. In the presence of 100 mg/l of TiO2 and the absence of H2O2, the highest reaction rate was observed when the initial pH was 10. With 500 mg/l of TiO2 and 10 mM of H2O2, the reaction was the fastest at initial pH of 3–5. The optimal conditions for the degradation of the dye, at an UV intensity of 17 mW/cm2, were determined to be: TiO2 concentration, 500 mg/l; initial H2O2 concentration, 10 mM; initial pH, 5.0. Monitoring of TOC loss showed that the dye was mineralized by 90% within 80 min under these conditions. Nevertheless, the persistence of a low level of TOC indicated that mineralization was not complete and dead-end product(s) which was (were) resistant to PCO might have accumulated.