Hydrogen peroxide-assisted photocatalytic degradation of textile wastewater using titanium dioxide and zinc oxide

The present work investigated the degradation of a dyeing factory effluent by advanced oxidative process under UV irradiation. TiO2 and ZnO were used as catalysts and the influence of different concentrations of H2O2 added to the system was studied. The catalysts were characterized in terms of crystal structure (X-ray diffraction), textural properties (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller area and pore volume) and point of zero charge, which indicated the semiconductors had a positively charged surface in an acidic medium. After 8h of irradiation at pH 3.0 and catalyst concentration of 0.0625gL(-1), the effect of H2O2 was evaluated by means of kinetic efficiency (rate constants), absorbance reduction (at 284, 621 e 669nm), total organic carbon reduction and mineralization (in terms of the formation of ions such as and ). Adding H2O2 to the photocatalytic system significantly increased pollutants' removal, highlighting tests with 1.0x10(-2)molL(-1), showing higher absorbance reduction and rate constants at 621 and 669nm for TiO2 and best mineralization rates for ZnO. Ecotoxicity bioassays using Artemia salina L confirmed the treatment efficacy, with effluent lethal concentration (LC50) increasing from 65.68% (in natura) to over 100% after photocatalysis treatment.