Preparation of Activated Carbon/TiO2 Nanohybrids for Photodegradation of Reactive Red-35 Dye Using Sunlight

Activated carbon/titanium dioxide (AC/TiO2) nanohybrids were synthesized by a hydrothermal technique using various weight percent of commercial AC and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The synthesized nanohybrids were applied to photodegradation of Reactive Red-35 (RR-35) dye in aqueous solution using sunlight. Due to the synergistic effect of adsorption and photodegradation activity, AC/TiO2 nanohybrids were more efficient in treating the aqueous dye solution than that of AC and TiO2. The maximum (95%) RR-35 dye removal from the water was obtained with 20 wt% AC/TiO2 within 30 min at natural pH of 5.6. The possible photodegradation mechanism of RR-35 dye with AC/TiO2 was discussed from the scavenger test. Moreover, AC/TiO2 was found to be suitable for long-term repeated applications through recyclability experiments. Therefore, AC/TiO2 nanohybrid is a promising photocatalyst for treating azo dyes especially RR-35 from water.