A comparative study on the degradation of RB-19 dye in an aqueous medium by advanced oxidation processes

The effectiveness of photolysis (UV), peroxidation (H(2)O(2)), peroxidation combined with UV light (UV/H(2)O(2)), Fenton reagent (H(2)O(2)/Fe(2+)), and the photo-Fenton process (H(2)O(2)/Fe(2+)/UV) at degrading the textile dye Reactive Blue 19 was evaluated. The efficiency of the photo-Fenton process for degrading raw textiles and biologically pre-treated effluents was also evaluated. H(2)O(2) (100-800 mg L(-1)) and UV light did not degrade dye when used separately. The UV/H(2)O(2) process was effective but slow: 91% of dye degraded within 3 h of reaction at a concentration of 500 mg L(-1) H(2)O(2). Fenton reagent reduced dissolved organic carbon by 36.8% and color was reduced by >98% within a few minutes of reaction. The photo-Fenton process was the most efficient, reducing 94.5% of dissolved organic carbon and 99.4% of color. The combination of a biological system and the photo-Fenton process degraded a high level of textile effluent degradation, reducing dissolved organic carbon by 88%, color by 85%, chemical oxygen demand by 80%, and biochemical oxygen demand by 93%.