Optimization of Pharmaceutical Wastewater Treatment Using Tiger Nut and TiO₂: A Comparative Study of Photocatalytic Degradation and Adsorption Efficiency

This study delves into the photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical wastewater, employing tiger nut and Titanium dioxide (TiO۲) as catalysts. The study aims to optimize treatment processes in both photocatalytic reactors and through adsorption in light-absent conditions. A systematic experimental approach varied catalyst dosage (۰.۵ g/l to ۳.۰ g/l), pH (۴ to ۱۱), and contact time (۳۰ to ۱۰۰ minutes), with a consistent flow rate of ۱۲۰ rpm and UV intensity set at ۴۵۰W. Optimal conditions for photocatalytic degradation were found at ۳.۰ g/l catalyst dosage, pH ۴-, and ۱۰۰-minutes contact time, resulting in a ۹۵.۴۱% reduction in Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). In contrast, adsorption peaked at ۱.۷۵ g/l catalyst dosage, pH ۴.۰, and ۱۰۰ minutes contact time, slightly outperforming photocatalysis with a ۹۵.۵۰% COD reduction. The adsorption method demonstrated superior efficiency, confirmed by higher degradation rates. Kinetic analysis favoured the pseudo second-order kinetics model (R۲ = ۰.۹۹۰۸) for adsorption data, surpassing pseudo first-order and intra-particle diffusion models.

کلیدواژه ها:

Wastewater ، optimization ، Tiger Nut ، Photocatalysis ، Adsorption efficiency