Of the available wastewater treatment methods to remove organic impurities, photocatalytic degradation processes are the most promising. TiO2 is considered the most suitable photocatalyst due to its higher degradation capacity for numerous organic pollutants. It is also cheap, non-toxic and photo stable semiconductor compared to other photocatalysts. Recent research projects have focused on the development of modified TiO2 photocatalysts to increase their efficiency and applicability. Investigations from literature use methylene blue as a representative organic impurity to probe the photocatalytic efficiency of modified/unmodified photocatalysts. The effect of process parameters on degradation efficiency has been investigated by classical factorial methods that are time-consuming and arduous. However, by using experimental design methodologies, maximum and accurate information can be obtained from experimental results by spending less chemicals and effort. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue has been conducted using TiO2 as catalyst and the process parameters were optimized using Response Surface Methodology. A three-level, three-factor, Box�Behnken design has been employed to determine the effects of process parameters, namely initial pH of solution, amount of photocatalyst, and air flow rate on the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. The appropriate mathematical model has been developed by regression analysis of the experimental data obtained from 15 batch runs. The regression analysis and statistical significance have been obtained to find the most suitable combination of independent variables resulting in maximum degradation capacity. The statistical significance of variables has been evaluated by using the analysis of variance (ANOVA). Design Expert Software has been used for developing model and regression analysis. Combined effects of process parameters have been visualized by response surface plots that were obtained by Statistica 10.0 Software.

Optimization of process parameters for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue by experimental design

248th National Meeting (2014)

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