Abstract

A new Nano photocatalyst, CuO-Al₂O₃-ZrO₂-TiO₂ was synthesized by co-precipitation for the removal of textile dye under ultra violet and direct sunlight. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by using X-rays diffraction, X-rays fluorescent, thermo gravimetric analysis, DRS, scanning electron microscopy and EDX. The dopants reduced the recombination of e_cb^- and h_vb⁺ and decreased the band gap of TiO₂ from 3.25eV to 1.38eV. Due to this change, light absorption increased under sun light. The photocatalytic activity of the degraded samples of direct sky blue5B was analyzed by UV/Visible spectrophotometer. The results showed an enhanced photocatalytic activity under sun light about 96.8% in time duration of 100 min. It was also found that the degraded samples followed the pseudo first order kinetic model. This technique is cheap, easy and novel for the treatment of textile industrial waste water. In present energy crises of the world it can replace old expensive technologies.

Key words: Nano photocatalysis, direct sky blue5B, photocatalytic degradation, textile dyes, nano catalytic characterization.