INVESTIGATING THE PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF TEXTILE DYEEFFLUENTS USING LOCALLY SOURCED CLAY-BASED NANOMATERIALS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The increasing pollution of the environment due to textile dye effluents in Nigeria is a major source of
danger to both aquatic environment and human health thus there is need to have sustainable remediation
measures. This paper explores synthesis and analysis of iron-doped clay-based nanomaterials using the
local resources in Ogun State, Nigeria to degrade popular textile dyes, reaction to Congo Red and
Methylene Blue. Sampling was done in three locations- Ijebu-Ode, Abeokuta and Ifo characterized by
X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy which showed the predominating mineral as
kaolinite with different percentages of quartz and illite. Nanomaterials were prepared through wet
impregnation using the iron chloride and then underwent calcination at 500 C which improved
responsiveness of the material to visible light. The efficiencies of degradation of the two dyes in a
laboratory-scale reactor (with LED irradiation of less than 100 W) at 4 hours showed efficiencies higher
than 75 percent of each dye following pseudo-first-order kinetics, with rate constants of 0.015 to 0.025
min -1. Reusability tests indicated that it was stable after five cycles with more than 60% of efficiency.
The study incorporates primary primary data in form of batch experiments done in triplicate and
statistical analysis of ANOVA, which supports the idea of significant differences between performance
according to clay source and doping level. The localized solutions are made in local areas, and the need
to utilize these solutions is justified by the demographic factors of Ogun State being mainly Yoruba
ethnic groups with a population of about 6.38 million who carry out their agricultural and industry
activities. The results are in favor of scaling these nanomaterials in the treatment of wastewater to
provide cost-effective alternatives to the existing one. The work contributes to the environmental
chemistry field since the use of indigenous resources to control pollution in developing situations is
utilized.