Photocatalyst with Various Ratios and Concentrations of TiO2-Fe3O4 to Remove Humic Acid Pollutants

Abstract

Humic acid is naturally generated from aerobic decomposition of organic matter by organisms. Treatment of humic acid by photocatalyst have some advantages, such as no saturation point, inexpensive, non-toxic and environmental friendly. Photocatalyst is a photochemical process which involved catalyst and light illumination to generate radicals. This study was aimed determine the ability of photocatalysts to degrade humic acid using various ratios (1:1, 1:2 and 2:1) and concentrations of TiO2-Fe3O4 (2000, 6000, 10000 ppm) with UVC light as energy source. This research was carried out using the photocatalytic method, which determine optimum ratio and concentrations variation of TiO2-Fe3O4. The degradation data were obtained using a spectrophotometer UV-Vis with a wavelength of 254 nm. The optimum degradation percentage in the ratio variation test was 84,08 %, at a ratio of 2:1. It caused by the ratio of 2:1 contains more TiO2 than Fe3O4. The optimum degradation percentage in the concentration variation test was 93,35%, at a 2000 ppm concentration. Due to, too much catalyst uses could be cause turbidity and block the light for absorption by the photocatalyst so that the photodegradation process becomes less effective.