Nanostructured ZnO-TiO thin film oxide as anode material in electrooxidation of organic pollutants. Application to the removal of dye Amido black 10B from water.

Electrochemical oxidative degradation of diazo dye Amido black 10B (AB10B) as model pollutant in water has been studied using nanostructured ZnO-TiO thin films deposited on graphite felt (GrF) substrate as anode. The influence of various operating parameters, namely the current intensity, the nature and concentration of catalyst, the nature of electrode materials (anode/cathode), and the adsorption of dye and ambient light were investigated. It was found that the oxidative degradation of AB10B followed pseudo first-order kinetics. The optimal operating conditions for the degradation of 0.12 mM (74 mg L) dye concentration and mineralization of its aqueous solution were determined as GrF-ZnO-TiO thin film anode, 100 mA current intensity, and 0.1 mM Fe (catalyst) concentration. Under these operating conditions, discoloration of AB10B solution was reached at 60 min while 6 h treatment needed for a mineralization degree of 91 %. Therefore, this study confirmed that the electrochemical process is effective for the degradation of AB10B in water using nanostructured ZnO-TiO thin film anodes.