ABSTRACT
The present investigation aims to optimise the degradation of an azo dye RED ME4BL in the presence of Zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) particles doped with palladium, immobilised on polyurethane matrix (PUF). A fixed volume (50 mL) of the dye solution was taken for analysis. The factors investigated included contact time (10–30 minutes), pH (5.0–10.0) and initial RED ME4BL concentration (50–250 mg/L). Phytotoxicity assay was carried out using Sorghum seeds and ecotoxicity study was experimented using Artemia salina. The results revealed that a maximum degradation of 92.0% was seen after 20 minutes. The optimal pH was found to be 5.0 and the degradation reaction was dose-dependent. Phytotoxicity and Eco-toxicity assays showed that the nanoparticle treated dye solutions showed better results than the untreated dye sample, in terms of germination and survival rate.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).