Palladium-Supported Zirconia-Based Catalytic Degradation of Rhodamine-B Dye from Wastewater

The catalytic activity of Pd/ZrO2 was studied in terms of the degradation of rhodamine-B dye in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Pd/ZrO2 was prepared by impregnation method, calcined at 750 degrees C and characterized by XRD, SEM and EDX. The catalyst showed good catalytic activity for dye degradation at 333 K, using 0.05 g of the catalyst during 5 h. The reaction kinetics followed the pseudo-first order kinetics. The Freundlich, Langmuir and Temkin isotherms were applied to the data and the best fit was obtained with Freundlich isotherm. Thermodynamic parameters, like Delta H, Delta G and Delta S were also calculated. The negative values of Delta H (-291.406 KJ/mol) and Gibbs free energy (Delta G) showed the exothermic and spontaneous nature of the process. The positive Delta S (0.04832 KJ/mol K) value showed suitable affinity of catalyst for dye degradation. The catalyst was very stable, active and was easily separated from the reaction mixture by filtration. It can be concluded from the results that the prepared catalyst could be effectively used in dyes degradation/removal from water subjected to further validation and use for various dyes.

Automated summary

Pd/ZrO2 exhibited good catalytic activity and stability in the degradation of dyes, with thermodynamic parameters indicating the exothermic and spontaneous nature of the reaction. The catalyst showed suitable affinity for dye degradation, making it a promising candidate for further validation and application in various dye removal processes.