Photocatalytic decolorization of methyl orange using MnCeO_x-TiO₂ composite catalyst: experimental evaluation and...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Methyl orange (MO) is a common industrial dye pollutant.
• Photocatalysis offers a promising route for dye degradation.
• Developing efficient composite photocatalysts is crucial for environmental remediation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize MnCeOx/TiO2 composite catalysts.
• To investigate their photocatalytic efficiency for methyl orange decolorization.
• To optimize reaction conditions and model the process using Response Surface Methodology.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of MnCeOx/TiO2 composite catalysts.
• Characterization using FT-IR, XRD, UV-Vis/DRS, BET analysis.
• Photocatalytic degradation experiments under varying conditions (pH, temperature, catalyst ratio, time).
• Kinetic analysis and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with Central Composite Design (CCD).

Main Results:

• Synthesized catalysts exhibited mesoporous structures with high surface area.
• Band gap tuning and enhanced charge transfer capabilities were confirmed.
• Optimal conditions (pH 3, ~39.6°C, 0.31 ratio, 35 min) yielded 41.93% MO decolorization.
• RSM-CCD model showed high predictability (R²=0.99, Pred R²=0.96) and desirability (0.97).

Conclusions:

• MnCeOx/TiO2 composite catalysts show significant potential for methyl orange photodegradation.
• Photocatalytic efficiency is strongly influenced by solution pH, temperature, catalyst ratio, and reaction time.
• The developed RSM model accurately predicts performance and guides optimization for practical applications.