Photocatalytic Activity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Coated on Activated Carbon Made from Mango Seed in Removing Acid Black 1 from Aqueous Solutions

Background & Aims of the Study: Discharge of industrial wastewater to the environment has harmful effects. Textile industry is one of the industries that burdens pollutants to the environment. So the wastewater of these industries must be treated before discharging into the environment. Various methods for removing industrial pollutants have been investigated. Among them, AOPs have attracted much attention due to their ease of use, economic efficiency, and high performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the photocatalytic role of ZnO nanoparticles coated on activated carbon made from mango seed as an advanced oxidation process in removal of Acid Black 1 from aqueous solutions. Materials & Methods: This experimental research was performed in a 1000 cc batch reactor. In this process, effect of initial pH (3-9), initial dose of Acid Black (20-200 mg/L), modified photocatalyst concentration (20-100 mg/L) and reaction time (5-30 min) were investigated. The reactor contained of a 55-watt low-pressure mercury lamp inside a steel chamber. Results: The results showed that in this reserch the max removal efficiency of Acid Black 1 at pH=3, contact time of 30 min, initial dose of “Acid Black 1” 100 mg/L and modified photocatalyst dose of 0.1 g/L, was equal to 95%. Conclusion: This process had a high efficiency for Acid Black 1 Removal and it can be used to reduce the dye concentrations in textile wastewater before final discharge to the environment. Due to the lack of sludge and waste production, this environmental friendly process showed a remarkable potential for the purification of industrial effluents.