TITLE:
Investigation of Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange by Using Nano-Sized ZnO Catalysts
AUTHORS:
Changchun Chen, Jiangfeng Liu, Ping Liu, Benhai Yu
KEYWORDS:
ZnO Nanoparticles, Photocatalytic Degradtion, Methyl Orange
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science,
Vol.1 No.1,
March
2,
2011
ABSTRACT: Nano-sized ZnO catalysts were prepared by a direct precipitation method under the optimal conditions (cal-cination of precursors at 550?C for 120 min). The as-synthesized ZnO catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The photocatalytic prop-erties of ZnO nanoparticles were investigated via methyl orange (MO) as a model organic compound under UV light irradiation. The influence of operating parameters on MO degradation including the amount of ZnO catalysts, pH value of solutions, and the photodegradation temperature was thoroughly examined. In addition, the kinetic process of photocatalytic degradation of MO using nano-sized ZnO catalyst was also examined, and the degradation of MO follow the first order kinetics.