ZnO photocatalytic removal of Cu(II) from water using different light sources

• Main Author: Adilla, Adnan
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2015
• Subjects: GE Environmental Sciences
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/34666/1/Adilla%20Binti%20Adnan%20ft.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/34666/

This study focuses on the application of zinc oxide (ZnO) photocatalysis for the removal of copper (Cu) using three different light sources; ultraviolet (UV) lamp, light emitting diode (LED) lamp and natural sunlight. The parameters that were investigated included initial Cu concentration, concentration of ZnO and the pH of Cu solution. The residual Cu levels in the water after the photocatalytic treatment were determined using the Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS). The removal efficiency of Cu by using the artificial light source and sunlight were compared. The artificial UV lamp showed the highest removal efficiency, 98.7% compared to the removal efficiencies by LED lamp and natural sunlight of 96.6% and 98.1%, respectively. High removal efficiency exceeding 98% was obtained with low Cu concentration (40 ppm). Alkaline pHs (pH 7 and 9) yielded higher removal of Cu compared to acidic pH (pH 3 and 4). One way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test performed showed that there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between removals of Cu in the photocatalytic treatments conducted using UV lamp, LED and sunlight.