Optimization of Malachite Green Removal from Water by TiO(2) Nanoparticles under UV Irradiation

TiO(2) nanoparticles with surface porosity were prepared by a simple and efficient method and presented for the removal of malachite green (MG), a representative organic pollutant, from aqueous solution. Photocatalytic degradation experiments were systematically conducted to investigate the influence of TiO(2) dosage, pH value, and initial concentrations of MG. The kinetics of the reaction were monitored via UV spectroscopy and the kinetic process can be well predicted by the pseudo first-order model. The rate constants of the reaction kinetics were found to decrease as the initial MG concentration increased; increased via elevated pH value at a certain amount of TiO(2) dosage. The maximum efficiency of photocatalytic degradation was obtained when the TiO(2) dosage, pH value and initial concentrations of MG were 0.6 g/L, 8 and 10(−5) mol/L (M), respectively. Results from this study provide a novel optimization and an efficient strategy for water pollutant treatment.