Degradation of methyl orange using TiO2 as photocatalyst

Textile industry stands out as it produces a large amount of coloured dye effluents which are toxic and biodegradables. Among the different types of dyes used textile industry, 60-70% is azo compound. An extensive research on photocatalysis of TiO₂ has attracted significant attention for solving these problems due to its high potential for ensuring the complete destruction of organic compound in the aqueous medium. The dependence of water to Ti ratio and the function of pH value towards the formation of titania nanoparticles for photocatalytic application was investigated. Sol gel method was used for the formation of TiO₂ nanoparticles using titanium isopropoxide as precursor with annealing temperature of 300°C for four hours.The results shows that the highest photocatalytic activity is produced by samples prepared at pH 3 and water to Ti ratio of 110 with 68% degradation of methyl orange solution within first hour of UV light irradiation.