Fe(III)/TiO₂-Montmorillonite Photocatalyst in Photo-Fenton-Like Degradation of Methylene Blue

Abstract

A photodegradation process of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution using Fe(III)/TiO 2 -montmorillonite photocatalyst is presented. The photocatalyst material was prepared using Indonesian natural montmorillonite in TiO 2 pillarization process followed by Fe(III) ion exchange. Kinetic study on MB degradation was conducted and evaluated by three kinetic models: the pseudo-first- and second-order equations and the Elovich equation. From the results, it is concluded that the degradation under the photo-Fenton-like process utilizing Fe(III)/TiO 2 -montmorillonite photocatalyst conformed to the Elovich kinetic model.