Title
Degradation of methyl orange dye using TiO₂ immobilized in biopolymer chitosan under sunlight irradiation
Authors
LAMINE AOUDJIT, DJAMILA ZIOUI and EL AMINE NEBBAT

Received March 7, 2025
Published Volume 59 Issue 5-6 May-June
Keywords chitosan, nanocomposite TiO₂, Methyl Orange, advanced oxidation processes

Abstract
TiO₂ - chitosan beads were prepared and utilized for the photodegradation of methyl orange dye. The characterization of the synthesized TiO₂–chitosan (CTC) was performed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The degradation of methyl orange (MO) dyes was ascribed to the improved photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ - chitosan (CTC), supported by techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The experiments on photodegradation were conducted by altering the synergistic effect between TiO2 and chitosan (CS). Various factors, including initial dye concentration, pH, and catalyst dose, were examined. The findings indicated that a reduction in initial dye concentration and an increase in irradiation time led to a higher percentage of methyl orange dye removal. Experimental data revealed that when exposed to sunlight for 180 minutes, 75.97% of methyl orange was eliminated using TiO₂ - chitosan beads. The best photoactivity was obtained for a concentration of 20 mg/L and a catalyst dose of 0.26 g at pH 9.