Innovative and Sustainable Material TiO2-Pillared Clay Composite for Superior Adsorption-Photocatalyst Degradation of Methylene Blue

An innovative and sustainable adsorption-photocatalyst material based on natural clay with a TiO2 composite was prepared for the treatment of organic dye waste. This study investigates the preparation of TiO2-pillared clay composite, aiming to determine its characteristics and effectiveness in the adsorption of the organic dye Methylene Blue (MB). The composite was prepared using a thermal method applied to clay and TiO2 P25, resulting in TiO2-pillared clay. The material was characterized using XRF, FTIR, XRD, and SEM techniques. Additionally, the adsorption efficiency of MB compounds was evaluated using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The results revealed that TiO2 successfully integrated with the clay surface, forming pillars within the clay lattice. XRF and XRD analyses indicated an increase in the crystallinity of quartz due to the presence of SiO2 and Al2O3 in the clay material, while TiO2 exhibited photoactive anatase crystals. For the treatment of the organic pollutant MB, the experiments identified the optimum adsorption-photocatalyst conditions as pH 6, 120 min, and an MB concentration of 25 mg/L when using the TiO2-pillared clay composite. Furthermore, mass variability tests demonstrated that 0.5 grams of the TiO2-pillared clay composite achieved high adsorption-photocatalyst efficiency in reducing MB organic dye. Finally, the evaluation of MB removal using various methods, including photolysis, adsorption, photocatalysis, and adsorption-photocatalysis, showed that the adsorption-photocatalysis method achieved a high performance, removing more than 70.71% of MB organic pollutants. Based on these findings, the dual-functional TiO2-pillared clay exhibits significant adsorption-photocatalyst capabilities for the reduction of organic dye pollution.