EFFECT OF HYDROTHERMAL REACTION TIME ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ZINC OXIDE PHOTOCATALYST IN DEGRADING METHYL ORANGE
Irfan Khadam (a*), Noni Novianti (b*), Mulda Muldarisnur (c*)

a) Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences,
Andalas University, Jalan Limau Manis, Padang 25175,
Indonesia, humas[at]unand.ac.id
b) Department of Physics, Jalan Limau Manis, Padang 25175,
Indonesia

Abstract

Textile waste pollution containing synthetic dyes such as methyl orange (MO) is a serious problem because it is difficult to degrade naturally, so it requires an effective waste treatment method. This study aims to analyze the effect of reaction time on the size of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and their efficiency in the photocatalysis process of textile waste. Samples were synthesized using hydrothermal method with time variations of 4, 8, and 12 hours. Characterization was conducted using XRD to determine the crystal structure, lattice parameters, and crystallite size- FTIR to identify functional groups- SEM to observe surface morphology and diameter distribution- and UV-Vis spectrophotometer to evaluate the degradation efficiency. XRD results showed a hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure with the largest crystallite size of 51.30 nm at 8 hours and the smallest of 43.99 nm at 4 hours. FTIR spectra indicated the formation of Zn-O groups at wave numbers 700-450 cm^-1, with the highest absorbance at 12 hours (532.36 cm^-1). SEM showed elongated rod morphology with more uniform size distribution at 12 h (standard deviation 44.92). The highest MO degradation efficiency was achieved in the 12 h sample at 90.78%.

Keywords: Hydrothermal- Methyl Orange- Zinc Oxide

Topic: Material Physics