Kinetic evaluation of photocatalytic decoloration of Synozol Red K3BS dye using TiO2-anatase and direct solar radiation

The intense solar radiation of the city of Arequipa has been used as an activation factor for TiO₂ anatase to evaluate the decoloration kinetics of the Synozol Red K3BS textile dye. For this purpose, a factorial design (2³) was developed to optimize reaction time values, pH and TiO₂ doses for 200 mL of solution. The optimal factors for the study were: a 60 min duration, a pH of 3 and 0.1 g of photocatalyst. The first-order kinetic model adequately explained the decoloration of a solution at a concentration of 40 mg/L, showing an excellent reaction rate constant (k=0.0333 min^-1) and a decoloration percentage of 86.15%.

Keywords: Solar radiation, decoloration, anatase, Synozol Red K3BS, kinetics.