Effectiveness of TiO2-Eggshell (CT) Composite for the Degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) Rahmawati Munir, Dadan Hamdani, Darnah, Eva Marliana, Sahara Hamas Intifadhah
1)Theoretical and Material Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathemathics and Natural Science, Mulawarman University, Jl. Barong Tongkok No. 4, Samarinda, Kalimantan Timur, 75123
2)Study Program of Statistics, Faculty of Mathemathics and Natural Science, Mulawarman University, Jl. Barong Tongkok No. 4, Samarinda, Kalimantan Timur, 75123
3)Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathemathics and Natural Science, Mulawarman University, Jl. Barong Tongkok No. 4, Samarinda, Kalimantan Timur, 75123
Abstract
In this research, TiO2-Eggshell (CT) composites were synthesized using the Solid-State Dispersion (SSD) method with varying ratios of eggshell to TiO2: 9:1, 8:2, and 7:3. The aim was to evaluate the photocatalytic efficiency of these composites in degrading Methylene Blue (MB) under UV light. The SSD method effectively produced homogeneous composites, where the TiO2 particles were well-dispersed on the eggshell matrix. UV-Vis spectrophotometry was employed to monitor the degradation of MB, and it was found that all composite samples exhibited degradation efficiencies above 95%. Among the different ratios, the 7:3 (eggshell: TiO2) composite showed the highest photocatalytic activity, indicating that a higher TiO2- content correlates with improved degradation performance. Additionally, the pH of the MB solution increased from 6.72 to 7.91 upon treatment with the composites, indicating the potential of the composite not only for photocatalytic degradation but also for pH adjustment in water purification applications. The results suggest that the TiO2-Eggshell composite, particularly with a higher TiO2- loading, is a promising material for environmental remediation, specifically for the removal of organic pollutants such as Methylene Blue (MB) from wastewater.
