Deposition of Titanium Dioxide Particles on Kanthal Coils by Direct Heating Technique for Photodegradation of Methylene Blue Solution

Abstract

Organic dyes are extensively used in textile and batik industry. Dispose of untreated dye effluent into water system is hazardous to human and environment. Advanced oxidation process (AOPs) based on heterogeneous TiO2 photocatalyst is proven for effluent treatment. Immobilization of TiO2 photocatalyst on supporting substrate is one of the research focuses to realize its application in industry to minimize the loss of TiO2 photocatalyst over time during effluent treatment. Many synthesis techniques have been used to grow TiO2 photocatalyst on supporting substrates. However, these synthesis techniques are either time- or cost-consuming. In this work, a novel direct heating (DH) technique has been developed for the first time to deposit TiO2 particles on kanthal coils. The optimum deposition of TiO2 particles was achieved in 15 min using 60 W. The TiO2 particles contained mixture of anatase (82.7%) and brookite (17.3%), with an average particle size of 167.36±15.37 nm. The surface coverage of TiO2 particles on kanthal wire was good, with minimum agglomeration. The TiO2 particles deposited on kanthal coils recorded 43.7% of photodegradation efficiency in methylene blue removal under UV light.