Christina Wahyu Kartikowati, Ricko Akhsan Pradana, Sisi Pamela Luberty Sinaga, Osi Arutanti, Aditya Farhan Arif
The increasing use of synthetic dyes in the textile industry has led to higher waste production. Photocatalytic degradation, particularly using TiO2, is a promising technology for waste treatment. However, TiO2's large bandgap restricts its activity to non-visible light, resulting in high energy consumption. This study aims to enhance TiO2's performance in the visible light spectrum by compositing it with Fe2O3 at concentrations of 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% (wt/wt Ti{OCH(CH3)2}4, TTIP) using the sol-gel method. Fe2O3 was homogenized in liquid TTIP with an ultrasonic homogenizer for 60 minutes, and the composite was calcined at 200, 400, and 600 °C. Characterization was performed using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX), and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic effectiveness of the composites was tested with Methyl Orange (MO) under both visible and non-visible light for 180 minutes. XRD results indicated no crystalline phase at 200 °C, while crystalline phases appeared at 400 °C and 600 °C, with anatase phase percentages of 72.78% and 78.83% and crystal sizes of 26.06 nm and 38.23 nm, respectively. DRS analysis revealed bandgap energies decrease by increasing the Fe2O3 concentration at 600 °C. Photocatalytic tests using (Ultraviolet) UV light showed decreasing degradation with increased Fe2O3 doping, while visible light tests showed improved degradation, with the highest efficiency of 77.26% at 3% Fe2O3 and 600 °C. This demonstrates that Fe2O3 addition shifts TiO2's absorption to the visible light region, enhancing its photocatalytic performance. © 2025 Author(s).
Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Mittsubishi Chemical Indonesia, Cilegon, 42438, Indonesia; Department of Industrial Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Research Center for Advanced Chemistry, National Research and Innovation Agency, Serpong, 15314, Indonesia; Indonesia Mining and Minerals Research Institute, Mining Industry Indonesia (MIND ID), Jakarta, 6917, Indonesia
