Decolorization and detoxification of Acid blue 158 dye using cuttlefish bone powder as co-adsorbent via photocatalytic method

The photocatalytic removal of Acid blue 158 (AB 158) dye from aqueous solutions using cuttlefish bone powder (CFBP) as co-adsorbent has been carried out. Both photocatalytic and adsorption studies were compared on the decolorization of AB 158 by studying the effect of various equilibrium parameters like contact time, dose of catalyst and adsorbent, pH and concentration variation. Both the sorption and photocatalytic studies were pH and concentration dependent. Maximum efficiency was achieved at pH 2.0. As a co-adsorbent, CFBP enhanced the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 which is mainly due to the adsorption of AB 158 dye on CFBP which is followed by the transfer of dye to the TiO2 surface, where it undergoes photocatalytic decoloration. The presence of functional groups, surface morphology and crystalline nature of the prepared sorbent were confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The detoxification of AB 158 dye was examined by chemical oxygen demand (COD) method. The kinetics of photocatalytic decolorization of AB 158 dye using CFBP/TiO2/UV followed Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism.