Use of Some Semiconductors as Photocatalyst for the Removal of o-nitro Phenol: A Kinetic Study

The kinetics and mechanism of o-nitro phenol adsorption on semiconducting material have been studied in the presence of uv light. photocatalytic bleaching was carried out over suspension of ti02 or zno under ultraviolet irradiation. photodegradation percentage was studied spectrophotometrically with the measurements of absorbance at a,max = 412 nm. wavelength of irradiation source (mercury lamp) was used as 380 nm. the rate of photodegradation increases linearly with the time of irradiation when ti02 or zno are used. the influence of various process parameters i. e. initial concentration,contact time, dose of catalyst and initial ph on the extent of removal of o-nitro phenol by photocatalytic degradation have been studied. the results showed that the percentage removal of o-nitro phenol increases with initial concentration of o-nitro phenol solution. the optimum contact is fixed at 120 minutes for both ti02 and zno. the optimum ph was 7. the results of this study clearly revealed that the o-nitro phenol could be bleached by semiconductors assisted photocatalysis.