Photocatalytic degradation of azo dye Acid Red 114 in water with TiO2 supported on clinoptilolite as a catalyst

In this investigation photocatalytic degradation of azo dye Acid Red 114 in water was studied. Titanium (IV) oxide was supported on clinoptilolite (CP) (Iranian natural zeolite) using solid-state dispersion (SSD) method. The results show that the TiO2/clinoptilolite (SSD) are an active photocatalyst. The maximum effect of photodegradation was observed at 10 wt.% TiO2, 90 wt% clinoptilolite. A first order reaction with K = 0.0127 min−1 was observed for the photocatalytic degradation reaction. The effects of some parameters such as pH, amount of photocatalyst, and initial concentration of dye were also examined. Based on the results, a model was proposed for photodegradation of dyes using immobilized [TiO2/clinoptilolite (SSD)]. This model can be useful for the development of this technology for wastewater treatment applications.