Research Information System
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING COMMUNICATIONS, vol.213, no.3, pp.466-483, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
In this study, chitosan-based ZnO supported hydrogels (CZ-H) were synthesized to evaluate their photocatalytic degradation performance against methyl orange (MO) dye. The composite hydrogels were characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis DRS, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). These characterization results confirmed the successful formation of the CZ-H composite structure. The band gap of the composite was approximately 2.77 eV, supporting enhanced photocatalytic activity. Photocatalytic experiments showed that CZ-H removed 74% of MO within 60 min, compared to 42% for pure chitosan beads, with reaction rate constants of 0.0237 min-1 and 0.0113 min-1, respectively. Moreover, the CZ-H beads demonstrated good reusability with minimal loss in efficiency over multiple cycles. These findings highlight the potential of CZ-H as a stable, effective, and reusable photocatalyst for the efficient removal of dyes from wastewater.