Photodegradation of Dye Pollutant on Ag/ZnO Nanocatalyst under UV-irradiation

Ag/ZnO heterostructure nanocatalyst was successfully prepared. The degradation of reactive blue 49, commonly used as a textile dye, can be photocatalysed by Ag/ZnO. Photodegradation efficiency was small when the photolysis was carried out in the absence of Ag/ZnO. Dye solution underwent a decolourization and the reaction was monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring the absorbance of dyes at special wavelength. The experimental variables included amount of photocatalyst, concentration of H2O2 and initial concentration of dyes. More than 90% of 100 mgl(-1) Reactive Blue 49 decolourization in 30-minute reaction time.