UNAIR NEWS – Dr. Handoko Darmokoesoemo, Drs., DEA, Universitas Airlangga Faculty of Science and Technology lecturer who is consistent conducting studies for the benefit the community, held another study on “Photodegradation of Rhodamin B Using a TiO2 / NO3- @ KT Catalyst”.
Previously, in his research presentation, Handoko explained that dyes are one of the pollutants in the aquatic environment resulting from various industrial activities such as the textile, paper, food, cosmetics and paint industries. Residues from the use of dyes, he said, continues to contaminate and pollute the environment.
“Of all the types of dyes available, Rhodamin B is the most important dye representing xanthene dyes,” he said.
Rhodamin B, continued Handoko is a poisonous substance and resistant to direct biodegradation and photolysis. Therefore, RhB has a damaging effect on the environmental matrix. RhB, he said, naturally undergoes anaerobic reductive degradation and will produce aromatic amines which are carcinogenic substances.
“To minimize the negative impact of RhB, in the past 20 years, the Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) method was developed as a method considered effective in degrading dyes in industrial waste,” he explained.
Furthermore, Handoko also added that there are various types of existing AOPs methods such as electrochemical, ozonization, photolysis, phentonian and photocatalyst processes which are often used to degrade dyes or textile waste. Of the various types of AOPs, he continued, photocatalyst is a method of color degradation from the aquatic environment widely developed.
“Because it has been proven to have various advantages, including for non-biodegradable waste management, operational costs and installation of a cheap waste management system, can be run by unprofessional people, and combined with other methods such as adsorption and active sludge methods,” said Handoko.
In the end, he also said that one of the materials most often used in the photocatalyst system is titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ). TiO 2, said Handoko, is generally used in the photocatalyst system in powder form.
“As a result, the photodegradation process has become less effective, because the powder dispersed in water is difficult to regenerate, difficult to separate from the water environment and is needed in large quantities,” he stated.
Author: Nuri Hermawan
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
Reference:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213343719306050?dgcid=author
Handoko Darmokoesoemo, Yantus A.B. Neolaka, Zakarias S. Ngara, Yosep Lawa, Johnson N. Naat, Didi Prasetyo Benu, Ahmed Chetouani, Hicham Elmsellem, Heri Septya Kusuma. Simple design and preliminary evaluation of continuous submerged solid small-scale laboratory photoreactor ( CS4PR ) using TiO2/NO3–@TC for dye degradation. J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 7, 103482 (2019).
