Removal of Reactive Blue 19 dye from synthetic wastewater using UV/H2O2 and UV/Cl advanced oxidation processes

The textile and dyeing industries are among the largest water-consuming and polluting industries in the world. The most important feature of the textile dyeing industry wastewater is its color, due to the use of colored materials. Most of these dye compounds are resistant to conventional purification methods and their biodegradation is very low through secondary purification processes, resulting in incomplete removal. Therefore, selecting the optimal method to remove these color compounds is essential. In this study, we studied the removal of an organic dye contaminant (Reactive Blue dye 19 [RB19]) using advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). For this purpose, ultraviolet (UV) mercury lamps with a wavelength of 254 nm and a voltage of W16 inside a reactor were used as an energy source. The experiments were performed in a collimated beam reactor inside a dark chamber. Two oxidizers, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), were used to remove RB19 from the artificial sewage stream. Removal of RB19 with a concentration of 20 mg/L with variable pH (5, 7, and 9), oxidant concentrations (5, 10, and 20 mg/L), and time (5, 10, 15, and 30 min) were investigated during the processes of photolysis, chemical oxidation (by H₂O₂ and NaOCl), and UV/NaOCl and UV/H₂O₂ AOPs. The photolysis process did not remove the RB19. The highest removal efficiencies of RB19 by chemical oxidation processes with NaOCl and H₂O₂, UV/NaOCl, and UV/H₂O₂ at optimal conditions (pH = 5, [oxidant] = 20 mg/L, RB19 = 20 mg/L, and radiation intensity of 1005 mJ/cm²) were 64.49%, 0.88%, 99.7%, and 13.31%, respectively. These results indicate that the hydroxyl radical was produced, under optimum conditions, more in the acidic medium; thus, the RB19 removal efficiency was higher in the acidic medium. The combination of UV rays with oxidants resulted in the production of more hydroxyl radicals and increased removal efficiency.