Removal of Phenol Dyes Using a Photocatalytic Reactor with SnO2/Fe3O4 Nanoparticles

In this study, we present kinetics of phenol dyes removal by SnO₂/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in a photocatalytic reactor for optimization of this process. The effect of different concentrations of SnO₂ 5, 10, 15, 20% w/w on the photocatalytic reactor during removal of phenol red was investigated. The SnO₂/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized by core–shell method. The results of XRD and TEM showed the successful synthesis of these nanoparticles. Several other methods were applied to synthesis of these nanoparticles but none of them succeeded. This process composed of two-stage. The first stage was absorption by iron oxide nanoparticles and second stage was photocatalytic by tin oxide nanoparticles that followed pseudo-second-order kinetic and first-order kinetic, respectively. Optimization of this process was done corresponding to the parameters affecting the process with design expert software. In order to determine the optimal values of each of the parameters and the optimal conditions of the process, parameters were introduced to response surface methodology.