Studies on ZnO nanorods for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in aqueous solution | |
| Author | Mahmood, Mohammad Abbas |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.ME-09-04 |
| Subject(s) | Photocatalysis Water--Purification--Photocatalysis |
| Note | A thesis report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Microelectronics, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. ME-09-04 |
| Abstract | Water is one of the most essential requirements for life. There was a time when natural resources were enough to meet all the needs of clean and sweet water. Because of the population explosion during the last century, the situation, however, has completely turned around. There is a persistent exponential increase in the consumption of water due to which the limitations of the natural resources of water is becoming more and more obvious. Consequently, peoples are forced to rely on costly artificial means of the water purification. The situation is quite alarming in the developing countries, where due to the lack of adequate resources, masses have no option other than to use contaminated water. The result is the frequent out breaks of life threatening epidemics. In such a disgusting scenario there is an intense need for the exploration of alternate techniques for water purification which are more effective from the aspect of both the efficiency and the cost. In this respect, heterogeneous photocatalysis, during the last several years, has drawn a great deal of researcher’s attention for its application in water purification and air purification. In the ongoing thesis work we have focused on the investigation of the photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanorods fabricated through a simple low temperature wet chemical route. The whole experimental work encompassed the study of various growth parameters so that the most optimal way, from the aspect of the high photocatalytic efficiency, could be evolved. The substrates used for the purpose were normal glass slides, while, the photocatalytic activities of all the samples were examined through decolorization of 5μ M aqueous methylene blue (MB) under visible light of intensity nearly one sun (100klux). The various parameter studied included; effect of the concentration of the precursor solution, effect of growth time, effect of seeding, effect of annealing, effect of hexamine concentration at constant zinc concentration, effect of contaminant concentration, effect of light source, effect of pH of the contaminant suspension, effect microwave assisted growth, and effect of doping. The outcome of each experiment is presented in the form of absorption spectra of the corresponding MB suspensions. The photocatalytic behavior of each sample has been discussed on the basis arguments available in the literature and SEM images of the samples. At the end, a conclusion has been drawn about the possibility of photocatalysis for its practical use in the purification of drinking water. |
| Year | 2009 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. ME-09-04 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Department of Industrial Systems Engineering (DISE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Microelectronics (ME) |
| Chairperson(s) | Dutta, Joydeep |
| Examination Committee(s) | Afzulpurkar, Nitin V.;Chanchana Thanachayanont |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | NWFP University of Engineering & Technology Peshawar, Pakistan |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2009 |