Decolorization of Reactive Black 5 Using N-Doped TiO2

Decolorization of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) was investigated by heterogeneous photocatalysis using N-doped TiO2. N-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were synthesized by means of a sol-gel process. The characterization of synthesized samples was performed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Photocatalytic activity of N-doped TiO2 samples was assessed by following decolorization and degradation efficiency of RB5. N-TiO2(3) sample yielded the highest decolorization efficiency. The apparent first-order rate constants for decolorization of RB5 with N-TiO2(X) samples followed the order of N-TiO2(3) > N-TiO2(2) > N-TiO2(4) > N-TiO2(1). Improvement of decolorization efficiency of TiO2 was observed doping with nitrogen. The effect of actual sunlight on decolorization efficiency was also investigated. 96% and 49% of decolorization efficiency levels were attained within 60 minutes of reaction time with outdoor sunlight and fluorescent daylight lamps, respectively.